76 PICIDiE. 



(note); Gould, ii. pi. 2; Hurting, p. 127; Dresser, 'w. 

 p. 633. 



Rvficollis = with a red neck, from rufus + collmn. 



Inhabits South-western Europe and North-western Africa, 

 and has once occurred in Great Britain (Hancock, Ibis, 

 1862, p. 39). 



Suborder PICI. 



Family PICIDtE. 



Subfamily Picin^. 



[Genus PICUS, Linnaus, S. N. i. p. 173 (1766). 



Plcus = a Woodpecker, in classical Latin ; famous in augury, sacred to 

 Mars (cf. H. T. Wharton, • Ibis,' 1881, p. 254 et seq.). Perhaps from the root 

 of speclo = I look ; cf. Germ. Specht, our Wood-spite ; or from the same root 

 aa TTOiKiKos = variegated. 



[Pirns martius. Great Black Woobfjscxms. 

 Picus m a r t i u s, iiwwiBM*, S. N. i. p. 173 (1766). 



Picus martius, Naum. v. p. 253; Macg. iii. p. 77 ; Hewitson, 

 p. 238; Yarr. ed. 2, ii. p. 132; id. ed. 3, ii. p. 137; 

 Newton, ii. p. 482 ; Harting, p. 120. 



Dryocopus martius, Gray, p. 115; Dresser, v. p. 3 ; Gould, 

 iii. pi. 73. 



Great Black Woodpecker, Yarr. ed. 1, ii. p. 127. 



Martius = sacred to Mars. 



It is very uncertain if this species should really be included 

 in the British avifauna, as all the reported occurrences are 

 open to doubt. It is found generally throughout the Palse- 

 arctic Region as far east as Japan, but does not occur in the 

 western Palsearctic Region south of the Mediterranean. J 



Genus DENDROCOPUS, Koch, Syst. baier. Zool. i. 

 p. 72 (1816). 



Detidrociypv^, from Sevdpov = a tree, and kotttui = I strike. 



