374 



MUSEUM OF ANIMATED NATURE. 



[Woodpeckers, 



boring the apple-trees for insects, digging a circular 

 hole through the bark, just sufficient to admit his 

 bill : after that, a second and a third, and so on, in 

 pretty regular horizontal circles round the body of 

 the tree : these parallel circles of holes are often 

 not more than an inch or an inch and a half apart, 

 and sometimes so close together that I have covered 

 eight or ten of them at once with a dollar. From 

 nearly the surface of the ground up to the first fork, 

 and sometimes far beyond it, the whole bark of 

 many apple-trees is perforated in this manner, so as 

 to appear as if made by successive discharges of 

 buck-shot; and this little woodpecker is the perpe- 

 trator of this supposed mischief. I say supposed, 

 for, so far from these perforations of the bark being 

 ruinous, they are not Only harmless, but, I have good 

 reason to believe, really beneficial to the health and 

 fertility of the tree. In more than fifty orchards 

 which I examined myself, those trees which were 

 marked by the woodpecker (for some trees they 

 never touch, because perhaps not penetrated by in- 

 sects) were uniformly the most thriving, and seem- 

 ingly the most, productive. Many of these were 

 upwards of sixty years old, their trunks completely 

 covered with holes, while the branches were broad, 

 luxuriant, and loaded with fruit. Of decayed trees 

 more than three-fourths were untouched by the 

 woodpecker. It is principally during the autumn 

 and winter months that this species thus bores in 

 quest of the larvae of insects, which, if suffered to 

 remain unmolested, would ultimately destroy the 

 tree : one check to their increase, appointed by na- 

 ture, is the little downy woodpecker. 



1650. — The Great Spotted Woodpecker. 



(Picus major). Le Pic varie, and Pic Epeiche, 

 Buffon ; Die Bunt-specht, Becht, Bechstein. 



This species is one of our British birds, and, though 

 not very abundant, is found in all our wooded dis- 

 tricts. In Ireland it is rare. On the continent it is 

 widely diffused, and in the northern latitudes is 

 most probably migratory. Mr. Selby says that in 

 Northumberland there is an influx of these birds, as 

 he suspects, from Norway and Sweden ; they arrive 

 with the woodcock, generally after stormy weather 

 from the north or north-east. In its habits the 

 great spotted woodpecker resembles the rest of his 

 race, feeding on insects, berries, and fruits ; it rarely 

 descends to the ground, but traverses the trunks 

 and branches of trees with the greatest address, and 

 excavates adeep hole for the purpose of incubation. 

 During the spring and throughout the breeding-sea- 

 son this bird utters a jarring noise, the call both of 

 the males and females to each other. 



The colouring is as follows: — Forehead greyish 

 white ; crown of the head black ; occiput fine crim- 

 son ; cheeks and ear-coverts white ; general colour 

 of the upper surface black, proceeding from a streak 

 runrring from each corner of the lower mandible, 

 and arching forwards on the chest, inclosing a patch 

 of white on each side of the back of the neck ; sca- 

 pulars and part of the adjoining wing-coverts white ; 

 quills barred with white; the four middle tail- 

 feathers black, the rest more or less white, and 

 spotted near the tip with black; under surface 

 white. The female wants the red occipital band. 

 The young on quitting the nest have the crown of 

 the head red and the occiput black, in which state, 

 as Mr. Selby states, they have been mistaken for 

 the Picus medius, a species not found in England. 



1(351, — The Lesser Spotted Woodpecker 



(Picus minor). Le Petit Epeiche, Buffon: Pic 

 Epeichette, Temminck ; Grass-pecht, Bechstein. 



In all its habits and manners this beautiful little 

 species is a true woodpecker. It is generally dif- 

 fused through Europe, and in Germany gives pre- 

 ference to the forests of fir-trees. In our island it is 

 partially distributed, being in some places very 

 common, but in the northern counties it is rare. 



" In England," says Mr. Gould, " it is far more 

 abundant than is generally supposed: we have seldom 

 sought for it in vain wherever large trees, particularly 

 the elm, grow in sufficient numbers to invite its 

 abode : its security from sight is to be attributed 

 more, to its habit of frequenting the topmost branches 

 than to its rarity. Near London it is very common, 

 and may be seen by an attentive observer in Ken- 

 sington Gardens, and in any of the parks in the 

 neighbourhood. Like many other birds whose 

 habits are of an arboreal character, the lesser spotted 

 woodpecker appears to perform a certain daily round, 

 traversing a given extent of district, and returning 

 to the same spot whence it began its route. Besides 

 the elm, to which it is especially partial, it not un- 

 frequently visits orchard-trees of large growth, 

 running over their moss-grown branches in quest of 

 the larvae of insects, which abound in such situations. 

 In its actions it is very lively and alert. Unlike the 

 large woodpecker, which prefers the trunks of 

 trees, it naturally frequents the smaller and more 

 elevated branches, which it traverses with the ut- 

 most ease and celerity : should it perceive itself 



noticed, it becomes shy, and retires from observation 

 by concealing itself behind the branch on which it 

 rests ; if, however, earnestly engaged in the extrac- 

 tion of its food, its attention appears to be so absorbed 

 that it will allow itself to be closely approached 

 without suspending its operations. When spring 

 commences, it becomes clamorous and noisy, its call 

 being an oft-repeated note, so closely resembling 

 that of the wryneck as to be scarcely distinguishable 

 from it. At other times of the year it is mute, and 

 its presence is only betrayed by the reiterated strokes 

 which it makes against the bark of trees." (' Birds 

 of Europe.') 



The forehead is greyish white ; the crown of the 

 head is rosy red : streak over the eye, occiput, and 

 nape of the neck black ; cheeks and sides of the 

 neck white; from the corners of the lower mandible 

 a black streak proceeds downwards towards the 

 shoulder ; upper part of the back and lesser wing- 

 coverts glossy black ; middle of the back and sca- 

 pulars white barred with black ; quills black spotted 

 with white; tail-coverts and four middle tail-fea- 

 thers black ; upon the rest the black decreases to 

 the outer feather, which is white, except a black 

 spot near the tip ; under parts greyish white, with a 

 few dusky spots upon the sides of the breast. In 

 the female the crown of the head is white. (Selby.) 



1652. — The Gkeex Woodpecker 



(Picus viridis). Gecinus viridus, Boie : le Pic 

 vert, Buffon; Grunspecht, Bechstein; Woodspite, 

 Rain-bird, Hew-hole, Yappingall, Yaffer, Popinjay, 

 Provincial English. 



Of our limited number of British woodpeckers 

 this is certainly the most common ; it is, however, 

 very doubtful whether it extends to Ireland. On 

 the continent of Europe it is widely spread, inhabit- 

 ing forests and wooded districts, where its loud cry 

 may be often heard, the bird itself unseen. This 

 cry, when frequently uttered, is commonly supposed 

 to foretell the approach of rainy weather ; hence 

 one of its English provincial names. In some of 

 its. habits this species differs from the woodpeckers 

 generally, especially in often leaving the trunks of 

 the trees for the ground, where it searches for ants'- 

 nests, being extremely partial to these insects and 

 their larvae, which it picks up very dexterously by 

 means of its long tongue. In this respect it agrees 

 with the golden-winged woodpecker of America 

 (Colaptes auratus), a most beautiful and interesting 

 species, regarded by Mr. Vigors as the type of the 

 ground woodpeckers. It must not be supposed 

 however, that the green woodpecker seeks its food 

 only on the ground ; it searches for insects on the 

 bark of trees, or in the decaying wood, which it 

 shivers easily by blows with its strong wedge-shaped 

 bill. It scales the trunks with great rapidity, as- 

 cending either straight up or in a spiral manner; 

 it also readily descends, not, however, head-fore- 

 most, but tail foremost, moving as it were back- 

 wards. Its flight is rapid and undulating, the wings 

 being opened and shut at every stroke ; and in fly- 

 ing from trunk to trunk, if the trees are not very far 

 apart, it takes only a single sweep. 



The green woodpecker works out a deep excava- 

 tion either in a tree undergoing the process of decay 

 or in one of the softer kinds of wood, carrying it 

 often to a considerable depth. The aspen, according 

 to Mr. Selby, is often selected. When engaged at 

 its laborious task, the strokes are so rapid and re- 

 peated with such velocity, that the head appears in 

 an incessant vibration, while the strokes resound to 

 a considerable distance. The eggs, five in number, 

 are of a bluish white. 



In the spring this species utters a jarring sound, 

 which appears to be the call of the sexes to each 

 other. The feathers round the base of the bill and 

 round the eyes black ; crown of the head and a 

 moustache mark from the root of the bill blood-red, 

 the base of the feathers being bluish grey : upper 

 surface generally green, passing on the rump into 

 gamboge-yellow; under parts yellowish grey with 

 a tinge of green; quills barred with dusky black 

 and yellowish grey; tail blackish brown barred with 

 green. In the female the red on the head is less 

 conspicuous, and the moustaches are mostly black. 



1653. — The Scaled Woodpecker 

 (Picus squamaius, Vigors). This species is a native 

 of the Himalayan Mountains, and is figured in Mr. 

 Gould's ' Century.' It was first described in the 

 ' Proceeds. Zool. Soc' 1831, p. 8. Above green, 

 the rump yellowish ; throat greenish grey ; top of 

 the head scarlet ; a stripe above and below the eye 

 greenish white, bounded, the first above and the 

 latter below, by a large dash of black; under parts 

 greenish scaled with black ; quills and tail-feathers 

 brownish black barred with white. We have no 

 account of its habits. 



We have described the woodpeckers as zygodac- 

 tyle, that is, as having two anterior and two posterior 

 toes ; but there is a "group in which the innermost 

 of the hinder toes is wanting, the total number of 



the toes being only three. These tridactyle wood- 

 peckers, termed Picoides by Lacepede, Apterous 

 by Swamson, have the bill remarkably broad and 

 flattened ; and, sometimes at least, the tarsi are 

 partially covered with feathers. The species of this 

 group are not confined to one quarter of the "lobe ; 

 there are Indian, European, and American exam- 

 ples. Of the former we may mention the Picus 

 Tiga of Horsfield, to which the following- is closely 

 allied. J 



1654. — Shore's Woodpecker. 

 (Aptemus Shorii). Picus Shorii, Vigors. This 

 species, a native of the forests of the Himalaya 

 Mountains, and figured by Mr. Gould, in his 

 ' Century,' was first characterized in the ' Pro- 

 ceeds. Zool. Soc.' 1831, p. 175. Of its habits we 

 have no details. It is named after its discoverer the 

 Hon. F. J. Shore, of the East India Company's 

 Civil Service. General colour orange green ; the 

 head with a scarlet crest; back scarlet; a stripe 

 behind each eye, and another from the angle of the 

 lower mandible, black ; under parts white ; the back 

 of the neck, the quiUs, and tail-feathers black ; the 

 top of the breast greyish brown ; the breast and 

 abdomen marked with black scale-like spots. 

 Length, twelve inches. 



1655. — The Three-toed Woodpecker 

 (Aptemus tridaclylus, Swainson). Picoides tri- 

 dactylus, Lacepede. In Bonaparte's ' Comparative 

 List of the Birds of Europe and N. America' are dis- 

 tinguished three species of three-toed woodpeckers: 

 one (A. tridactylus), a native of Northern and Central 

 Europe ; and two (A. hirsutus and A. arcticus), 

 natives of the northern parts of America. Of these 

 latter, the A. arcticus has till lately been regarded 

 as identical with the European species. An allied 

 species, viz., the A. undulatus, is a native of 

 Guiana. In habits and manners these tridactyle 

 species resemble the ordinary woodpeckers, climb- 

 ing the bark with the greatest facility, and feeding 

 upon insects. 



The three-toed woodpecker inhabits the forests 

 of the northern and eastern portions of Europe as 

 well as those of Asia. It is very abundant in Nor- 

 way, Russia, and Siberia, and is common also in the 

 Swiss Alps ; but rare in France, and even Germany, 

 and never seen in Holland. It is not known in our 

 island. According to Temminck, in the Alpine 

 regions it never passes an elevation of 4000 feet 

 above the level of the sea, its range there being 

 restricted to the forests at the base of the moun- 

 tains, and to the wooded valleys. With respect to 

 its North American representative (A. arcticus), it 

 exists, according to Dr. Richardson, in all the forests 

 of spruce-fir lying between Lake Superior and the 

 Arctic Sea: and that north of the Great Slave Lake 

 it is the most common species of woodpecker. He 

 also states that it much resembles the hairy wood- 

 pecker in its habits, except that it seeks its food 

 principally on the decaying trees of the pine-tribe, 

 in which it frequently makes holes of considerable 

 size and depth. It does not migrate. According 

 to M. Temminck, the American bird differs from 

 the European in being of a less size, and more 

 vividly coloured. The three-toed woodpecker is 

 about ten inches in length ; the ground-colour of the 

 plumage of the upper parts is black, barred and 

 spotted with white ; the under parts are white, with 

 transverse markings along the sides. The top ofthe 

 head in the male is of a fine golden tint with an 

 inclination to orange. 



Among the less typical forms of the woodpeckers, 

 but which have truly zygodactyle feet, we may 

 notice the Picus Chilensis (Garm. * Zool. de Ja 

 Coquille,' pi. 32) and the Picus (Trachyphorius) 

 Cafer. 



1656. — The Chilian Woodpecker 



(P. Chilensis). In this species the legs and feet 

 are more slender than in the ordinary examples of 

 this tribe, and the tail, instead of being graduated 

 and wedge-shaped, with the stiff feathers so ar- 

 ranged as to support and strengthen each other 

 (as is well seen in our pictorial specimen of the 

 scaled woodpecker, Fig. 16 J3), consists of somewhat 

 softer feathers, which, instead of being graduated, are 

 nearly of equal length, so that the tail is but slightly 

 rounded at its termination. In the ordinary wood- 

 peckers the rigid tail-feathers are all bent inwards, 

 especially at their points, in order to catch the bark 

 and support the birds while clinging to the stems 

 of trees. In this species the feathers are straight. 

 We see in fact a departure from the scansorial 

 model, as presented by the more typical forms of 

 the Picidae. The present species is found in the 

 woods of the province of Conception in Chile. 

 M. Lesson killed many individuals upon the penin- 

 sula of Talcaguano. 



The Chilians call this bird Carpentero, a name 

 generally applied by the Spaniards to the wood- 

 peckers, both in Europe and America. 



