Order III. SCANSORES. 
Family III. Picm^. 
The second Subfamily, 
PICUMNINiE, or Piculets, 
have the Bill short, straight ; the sides compressed towards the tip, which is rather acute ; the gonys of 
the lower mandible lengthened, and advancing upwards ; and the Tail short, with the tip of each feather 
broad and rounded. 
PicuMNUs Temm.* 
Bill short, higher at the base than broad, with the cuhnen nearly straight and keeled ; the sides 
compressed towards the tip, which is pointed ; the gonys long, and advancing upwards to the tip, which 
is rather acute ; the nostrils basal, lateral, and concealed by the frontal plumes. Wings rounded, with 
the third, fourth, and fifth quills the longest. Tail short, and rounded at the tip of each feather. Tarsi 
short, and covered with broad scales in front. Toes long and unequal, with the two anterior ones united 
at the base as far as the first joint, and the two outer ones equal in length ; the claws long, compressed, 
and curved. 
The vast forests of South America and India are the localities of the species that compose this genus. They are 
found singly or in pairs on the branches of small trees, firmly grasping them with their toes, and keeping their bodies 
crosswise. These singular birds possess the power of leaping from one branch to another, but they do not usually 
support themselves on the trunks by means of theu- tail, as is the case with the true woodpeckers. The nests are said 
to be formed in rotten trunks of trees ; and the female lays two eggs. 
1. v. minutissimus {Gracl.) — Picus minutus Z,a<A. ; P. cirratus j 7. V. olivaceus haii. Rev. Zool. 1845. p. 7. 
Temm. PI. col. 371. f. 1. ; Picumnus cayanensis Lafr. ; Picus 8. V. cinnamomeus l^AiT. Rev. Zool. 1845. 7- 
cayanensis minor i 9- V. D Orhignyanus ha.ir. Rev. Zool. 1845. 7- 
2. P. Temminckii Lafr. — Picumnus exilis Temm. PI, col. 371 
f.2. 
3. P. exilis (Licht.) — Picumnus Lichtensteinii Lafr. 
4. P. pygmceus (Licht.) Cat. Dupl. Berl. Mas. p. 12. 
5. P. Buffoni Lafr. PJ. enl. 786. f. 1 
6. P. albosquamatus D'Orb. & Lafr. Voy. dans I'Amer. Mer. Ois, 
t. 64. f. 2. 
10. P. rufiventris (Pr. Bonap.) Proc. Z. S. 183". p. 120. 
11. P. innominatus Burt. Proc. Z. S. 1835.154. — Vivia ni- 
palensis Hodgs. Jouru. As. See. Beng. 1837. 107. ; Piculus nipa- 
lensis et P. rufifrons Hodgs. List. 
Sasia Hodgs.f 
Bill long, broad at the base, and with the sides suddenly compressed towards the tip, which is acute ; 
the gonys long and advancing upwards to the acute tip ; the nostrils basal, lateral, and hidden by the 
* M. Temminck established this genus in 182-.'' (^Planches Coloriees, with pi. 371.) 
t Established by Mr. Hodgson in 1836 {Journ. As. Soc. Beng. \%36, -p.^l^.). In 1841 he changed the above name to Comeris ; 
while, in 1840, I had in the List of Genera proposed Microcolaptes for these birds. 
