BIRl)S — PICIDAE — PICUS, 83 



PICUS, Linnaeus. 



Picus, Linn. Syst. Nat. 1748. 



Bill equal to the head, or a little longer ; the lateral ridges conspicuous, starting about the 

 middle of the base of the bill ; the basal elongated oval nostrils nearer the commissure ; the 

 ridges of the culmen and gonys acute, and very nearly straight, or slightly convex towards- the 

 tip ; the bill but little hroader than high at the base, becoming compressed considerably before 

 the middle. Feet much as in Campephilus ; the outer posterior toe longest ; the outer anterior 

 about intermediate between it and the inner anterior ; the inner posterior reaching to the base 

 of the claw of the inner anterior. Tarsus about equal to the inner anterior toe ; shorter than 

 the two other long toes. Wings rather long, reaching to the middle of the tail, rather rounded ; 

 the fourth and fifth quills longest ; the quills rather broad and rounded. 



In the genus Picus, as characterized above, are contained several subdivisions more or less 

 entitled to distinct rank, and corresponding with peculiar patterns of coloration. Thus, taking 

 the P. viUosus as the type, P. borealis has proportionally much longer primaries ; the spurious 

 primary smaller ; the bill is considerably more attenuated, and even concave in its lateral 

 outlines. The wings are still longer in P. albolarvatus. 



The species may be arranged as follows : 



A. Black above, and white beneath. Two white stripes on the side of the head, with black 

 ear covers. Wings spotted with white. 



Tkichopicus, Bp, — Middle of back streaked longitudinally with white. Beneath white, 

 without spots. A narrow red nuchal band. 



1. Outer tail feathers pure white. Length about \(i inches. 



Wing coverts and innermost secondaries conspicuously spotted with 

 white P. villosus. 



Wing coverts and innermost secondaries nearly uniform black, without 

 spots P. harrisii. 



2. Outer tail feather white, with black transverse bands. Length about 6j inches. 



Wing coverts conspicuously spotted with white P. pubescens. 



Wing coverts and innermost secondaries nearly uniform black.. P. gairdneri. 

 Dtctiopicus, Bp. — Middle of back banded transversely with white and black. Beneath 

 white, with black spots on the side. 



Entire crown and nape of male red, spotted with white. Feathers at the 



base of bill brown P. scalaris. 



Crown black ; nape red ; both spotted with white. Feathers at base of 

 bill white P. nuttalli. 



B. Black above and white beneath. Sides of body with black spots ;' sides of head black, 

 with a white auricular patch. Wings lengthened. 



Phbenopicus, Bp. — Back banded transversely with white. 



A narrow lateral line of red above the auricular patch P. borealis. 



C. Xenopicus, Baird. — Entirely black, with white head. Wings lengthened. 



A white patch at the base of the longer primaries ..P. albolarvatus. 



The following table will serve to exhibit the comparative measurements of the different species 

 of Picus found in the United States. 



