WHIT WALL. 541 



nape brown ; throat yellowish white ; bill and legs reddish. " This 

 species," says Temminck, " is found to inhabit the salt water lakes of 

 the eastern parts of Europe ; and is very plentiful in Russia, upon the 

 lakes and rivers of which country it constructs a nest of reeds or 

 rushes, floating- upon the water ; in this nest the female lays eight eggs 

 of a pale green.* 



WHITE WAGTAIL.— A name for the Winter Wagtail. 



WHITWALL (Picus major, Linnaeus.) 



Picus major, Linn. Syst. 1. p. 176. 17 Gmel. Syst. 1. p. 436. sp. 17 Fauna 



Suec. No. 100 — Lath. Ind. Orn. 1. p. 228. 13. — Picus varius major, Rati, 



Syn. p. 43. A. 4 — Will. p. 94. t. 21 Briss. 4. p. 34. 13 Le Pic Varie ou 



Pic Epeiche, Buff. Ois. 7. p. 57.— Ib. pi. Enl. 196. and 595. male and female. 

 — Temm. Man. d'Orn. 1. p. 595.— Die Bunt-specht, Bechst. Naturg. Deut. 2. 



p. 1022.— Meyer, Tasschenb. Deut. 1. p. 121 Ib. Vdg. Deut. 1. t. male 



and female. — Frisch, t. 36. male. — Greater-spotted Woodpecker, Br. Zool. 1. 



No. 85.— Arct. Zool. 2. No. 162 Will. (Angl.) p. 137. t. 21 Lewin's Br. 



Birds, t. 47 — Lath. Syn. 2, p. 564. 12.— Ib. Supp. p. 107.— Mont. Orn. Diet. 



—Pult. Cat. Dorset, p. 6 Don. Br. Birds, 2. t. 37 Bewick's Br. Birds, 1. t. 



118 — Flem. Br. Anim. p. 91 Selby, pi .-38. fig. 2. p. 106* 



The weight of this species is about two ounces and three-quarters ; 

 length nine inches ; the bill is dusky, an inch and a quarter long ; irides 

 reddish brown ; the forehead dirty white ; crown of the head black ; 

 hind part of a deep crimson ; the cheeks are white, beneath which is a 

 black line from the lower mandible to the back of the head, from the 

 middle of which another line of the same colour runs down on each 

 side, and almost meets at the upper part of the breast ; on each side the 

 back of the neck is a white spot ; the back, rump, coverts of the tail, 

 and lesser coverts of the wings are black ; the scapulars, and some of 

 the greater coverts adjoining, are white ; the quill-feathers are black, 

 marked with white spots on each web ; the throat and under parts are 

 dirty white ; vent bright crimson ; the four middle feathers of the tail 

 are black, the rest more or less white towards the point, marked with 

 black spots ; legs lead-colour. The female differs only in having that 

 part of the head black, which in the male is red. 



The Whitwall is less frequent in England than the poppinjay ; its 

 habits and manners nearly the same, except that it rarely descends to 

 the ground in search of food, and that it more frequently makes that 

 jarring noise for which the woodpeckers are distinguished, than either 

 of the other species, especially when disturbed from the nest, which we 

 had an opportunity of observing. It was with difficulty the bird was 

 made to quit her eggs ; for notwithstanding a chisel and mallet were 

 used to enlarge the hole, she did not attempt to fly out till the hand was 

 introduced, when she quitted the tree at another opening. The eggs were 

 five in number, perfectly white and glossy, weighing about one dram, 



