GRAKLE. 179 



hooked ; nostrils close to the base ; crown, nape, and neck behind 

 brown ; the middle of the feathers clay-colour; in some birds white, 

 giving the appearance of spots, but at the nape appearing as streaks ; 

 throat and breast much the same, but the clay spots are larger, and 

 longer ; chin plain buff clay-colour, or whitish ; from the breast to the 

 vent dusky brownish yellow ; the rest of the plumage deep rufous ; 

 the tail consists of twelve feathers, cuneiform in shape, the two middle 

 ones three inches and three-quarters long, the outmost two inches and 

 three-quarters, the shafts pale, and remarkably stiff, as in the Wood- 

 pecker, especially the middle ones, the shafts continuing beyond the 

 ends in a sharp point; all but the two middle have a disposition to 

 turn outwards, and probably support the bird in climbing, or on a tree, 

 as in the Woodpecker ; the outer quill is one inch shorter than the 

 third, which is longest of all, and the wings reach three-fourths on 

 the tail ; legs rather weak, claws stout, hooked, dusky lead-colour ; 

 toes united to the first joint. 



The above described from a specimen in the possession of Mr. M c. 

 Leay, received from Berbice ; is also found as far South as Paraguay; 

 it is larger than that figured in the PI. enlum. which is only seven 

 inches long. Said to be frequent in Guiana, in the inland parts, 

 having the manners of a Creeper or Woodpecker ; but the straitness 

 of the bill prevents it being ranked with the former, and the toes being 

 placed three before and one behind, forbid it to have place in the 

 latter Genus, independent of the tongue not being elongated ; ob- 

 served to feed chiefly on insects, which lurk beneath the bark of trees, 

 which it displaces for that purpose with its bill. Both this and the 

 Climbing Grakle are called Woodpeckers at Guiana; and both are 

 included by M. Temminck in his Genus Picucule. 



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