( i8 ) 



TJje Green Woodpecker. ' Picus Viridis. 



fjJcLlu^^o^ ^^^\,^ XVIII. 



' ^7 ■ "Y TS Length from the tip of the Bill to the end of the Tail is 14 Inches and a half; 



\ Breadth of the Wings when extended, 20 Inches and a half; Weight 6 Ounces 



and a half ; the Bill from the Point to the Angles of the Mouth is one Inch and three 



Quarters long, black, hard, flrong, triangular, ending in a blunt Point ; a redifh Circle- 



limmediately encompaffes the Pupil of the Eye, the reft of the Irh being white ; the 



Tongue when ftretched out is 6 Inches long, ending in a fliarp, bony Subftance, rough 



underneath, wherewith it takes the Infeds from the Bodies of the Trees, of which Kind 



the Ant is its chief Food ; the Top of the Head is of a crimfon Colour fpotted with 



black ; the Eyes are encompaffed with black ; under the black on each Side is another 



red Spot, which is peculiar to the Cock ; the Throat, Breaft and Belly are of a pale green ; 



the Back, Neck and lefTer Rows of covert Feathers of the Wings green ; the Rump of 



a pale yellow or ftraw Colour ; the Feathers under the Tail are crofled with tranfverlc 



-dufky Lines fpotted with whire Spots, the inner Webs of the fame Colour with the pre- 



■ ceding ; the Feathers covering the Roots of the Flags underneath are of a pale green, with 



tranfverfe dufky Lines. The Tail confifts of 10 Feathers, ftiff and bending inwards, 



which by reafon the Shaft reaches not to the end of the Webs, feems to be forked ; the 



two middlemoft Feathers are the longeft ; their Tips black ; elfe they are marked with 



crofs Bars above of a dark green alternately placed ; the leffer or outmoft have their Tops 



green and Bottoms black. 



The Feet and Toes are of a greenifh lead Colour ; the Claws dufky ; the Toes placed 

 as in the reft of this Kind, two forward and two backward ; che loweft Bones of the fore 

 Toes are joined together. It hath a large Gall an Inch and a half long ; the right Tefti- 

 cle round and the left oblong and bent almoft into a Circle, this is natural and not acci- 

 dental, being the fame in feveral Birds which were opened. It hath no blind Guts, but 

 in their Stead the ftreight Gut is dilated in that Place. Its Crop was full of AnU and 

 Anti Eggs, and fats fometimes on the Ground near to the Ant-Hills, where it feeks its 

 JFood. 



The Tips of the Shafts of the Tail Feathers in this and other Woodpeckers fecm broken 

 or worn off by their retting upon them in climbing. 



This Kind lays 5 or 6 Eggs at once, and 6 young ones have been found in a Neil 

 .together. 



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