338 WOODPECKER. 



was to enable the birds the more easily to climb up the trees, seems 

 to be doubted ; as Mr. S. rather thinks that nature designed such a 

 formation, that they might the better support themselves while in 

 the act of boring trees with the bill, aided by the stiff feathers 

 of the tail ; more especially as the other Genera, with toes placed in 

 the same manner, have not the same habits ; and particularly our 

 Cuckow, which does not climb the trees at all ; and we might also 

 add the Wryneck ; whereas the Nuthatch, and Creeper run up the 

 trees in all directions, the construction of whose feet is having three 

 toes before, and only one behind : but for the rest of the argument 

 brought forward by Mr. Sheppard, the reader should peruse what he 

 says at large on the subject. 



* WITH FOUR TOES. 



1- GREAT BLACK WOODPECKER. 



Picus martius, Ind. Orn.'u 224. Lin. i. 173. Faun. Suec. No. 98. Gm. Lin.'u 424. 



Scop. Ann.\. No. 51. Brun. No. 38. Midler, No. 97. Molin. Chil. 209. Id. Fr. 



Ed. p.215. Borowsk. Nat. ii. 134. Phil. Trans, xxix. No. 350. p. 509. t. 1. the 



head. Gen. Zool. ix. p. 148. pi. 29. Tern. Man. d'Orn. 237. Id. Ed. ii. p. 391. 

 Picus nigev, Bris.vl 21. Id. 8vo.ii. 47. Frisch. t.34. Raiip.42.l. Will. 92. t. 21. 



Klein. 26. 1. Gerin. t. 172. Johnst. Av. pi. 41. f. 1. Gesner. Av. t. p. 640. 

 Swarte Specht, Sepp Vog. iv. t. p. 385. Schmid Vog. p. 39. t. 25. 

 Le Pic noir, Buf. vii. 41. t. 2. PI. enl. 596. Salem. Om. 1. 10. f. 2. Ferm. Surin. ii. 



176. Dec. rtiss. iv. p. 9. 17. 

 Der Fouselier, Naturf. ix. s. 54. 

 Great Black Woodpecker, Gen. Syn. ii. 552. Id. Sup. 104. Br. Zool. Ed. 1812. 325. 



Albin, ii. pi. 27. Will. Engl. 135. pi. 21. Arct. Zool. ii. 276. A. Lewin Birds, ii. 



t.46. Donov. Birds,i. 1. 13. Wale. Syn. i. pi. 45. Pult. Cat. Dorset, p. 6. Om. 



Diet. Sf Supp. 



SIZE of a Jackdaw ; length seventeen inches. Bill near two 

 inches and a half, of a dark ash-colour, and whitish on the sides ; 



