432 
V I C 
P I c 
? IC 
examines what sequences he has of the same 
suit, viz. how many '< erces, or sequences of 
three cards; quarts, or sequences of four 
cards; quintes, or sequences of live cards, 
&c. he lias. These several sequences are 
distinguished in dignity by the cards they be- 
gin from: thus, ace, king, and queen, are 
stiied tierce major ; king, queen, and knave, 
tierce to a king; knave, ten, and nine, tierce 
to a knave; and the best tierce, quarte, or 
quinte prevails, so as to make all others in 
that hand good, and to destroy all those in 
the other hand. In like manner a quarte in 
one hand sels aside a tierce in the other. 
The sequences over, they proceed to ex- 
amine how many aces, kings, queens, knaves 
and tens each holds; reckoning for every 
three ot any sort three; 'but here too, as in 
sequences, he that with the same number of 
threes or fours, has one that is higher than 
any the other has, makes his own good, and 
sets aside all his adversary’s; but four of any 
sort, which is called a quatorze, because four- 
teen are reckoned for it, always set aside 
three. 
The game in hand being thus reckoned, 
the eldest proceeds to play, reckoning one 
for every card he plays above nine, while the 
other follows him in the suit: but unless a 
card is won by one above nine, except it is 
the last trick, nothing is reckoned for it. The 
cards being played out, he that has most tricks 
reckons ten for winning the cards: but if they 
have tricks alike, neither reckons any thing. 
If one of them wins all the tricks, instead of 
ten, which is his right for winning the cards, 
iie reckons forty, and this is called capot. 
The deal being finished, each person sets 
up his game: they then proceed to deal again 
as before; cutting afresh each time for the 
deal: if both parties are within a few points 
of being up, the carte-blanche is the first that 
reckons, then the point, then the sequences, 
then the quatorzes, then the tierces, and then 
the tenth cards. He that can reckon thirty 
in hand by carte-blanche, points, quintes, &c. 
without playing, before the other has reck- 
oned any thing, reckons ninety for them, and 
this is called a repike; and" if he reckons 
above thirty, he reckons so many above 
ninety. If he can make up thirty, part in 
hand, and part in play, before the other has 
told any thing, he reckons for them sixty ; 
and this is called a pique, whence the name 
of the game. Mr. de Moivre, in his doc- 
trine ot chances, has resolved, among others, 
the following problems: 1. To find, at pic- 
quet, the probability which the dealer has for 
taking one ace or more in three cards, he 
having none in his hands. He concludes 
from his computation, that it is 29 to 28 that 
the dealer takes one ace or more. 2. To 
fowl at picquet the probability which the 
driest has of taking an ace or more in live 
cards, lie having no ace in his hands. An- 
swer; 232 to 91, or 5 to 2, nearly. 3. To 
find at picquet the probability which the 
eldest has of taking both an ace and a king in 
five cards, he having none in his hand. An- 
swer; the odds against (lie eldest hand tak- 
ing an ace and a king are 331 to 315, or 21 to 
20 nearly. 4. To find at picket the proba- 
bility of having twelve cards dealt to, without 
king, queen, or knave; which case is com- 
monly called cartes-blanches. Answer; the 
cdd» against cartes-blanches are 323 to 
578,956, or 1791 to 1 nearly. 5. To find 
how many different sets essentially different 
from one another, one may have at picquet 
before taking in. Answer; 28,967,278. This 
number falls short of the sum of all the dis- 
tinct combinations, whereby twelve cards may 
be taken out of 32, this number 225,792,840; 
but it ought to be considered, that in that 
number several sets of the same import, but 
differing in suit, might be taken, which would 
not introduce an essential difference among 
the sets. 
PICRAMNIA, a genus of the pentandria 
order, in the chcecia class of plants; and in 
the natural method ranking with those that 
are doubtful. The calyx is tripartite ; the 
corolla has three petals; the stamina from 
three to five, awl-shaped, and seem to join 
together at the base; there are two sty li, 
which are short and bent backwards; the 
berry is roundish, and contains two oblong 
seeds, and sometimes one seed only. T here 
are two species: The antidesma, or murjoe 
bush, is frequent in copses and about the 
skirts of woods in Jamaica, rising about eight 
or nine feet from the ground. The leaves 
are ol an oval form, pointed, and placed in 
an alternate form along the branches; the 
flower-spikes are long, pendulous, and slen- 
der; the ilorets small and white: the berries 
are numerous, at first red, then of a jet 
black colour ; the pulp is soft, and of a pur- 
ple complexion. The whole plant is bitter, 
and especially the berry. The negroes make 
a decoction of them, and use it in weaknesses 
of the stomach and in venereal cases. 
PICIUS, ox-tongue, a genus of the poly- 
gamia axpialis order, in the syngenesia class 
ol plants. The calyx is calycletl ; receptacle 
naked ; seed transversely grooved ; down 
feathered. There are six species, of which 
the most remarkable is the echioides, or com- 
mon ox-tongue, growing spontaneously in 
corn-fields in Britain. It has undivided leaves 
embracing the stem, with yellow blossoms, 
which sometimes close soon after noon, at 
other times remain open till nine at night. It 
is an agreeable pot-herb while young" The 
juice is milky, but not too acrid. 
PICRIUM, in botany, a genus of the mo- 
nogynia order, in the tetrandria class of 
plants; and in the natural method ranking 
with those that are doubtful. The calyx is 
monophyllous and quinquefid; the corolla 
monopetalous, and its tube is short; the fila- 
ments are four in number, and hooded at the 
place of their insertion ; the style long and 
thick; the stigma bilamellated; the capsule 
is round, bivaived, and contains a number of 
small seeds. There are two species, viz. the 
spicatum and ramosum ; both natives of Gui- 
ana. Both species are bitter, and employed 
in dyspepsy, and to promote the menses: 
they are also recommendeded in visceral ob- 
structions. 
PIGUS, the ivoodpecker, in ornithology, 
a genus belonging to the order of picae. The 
beak is straight, and consists of many sides, 
and like a wedge at the point: the nostrils 
are covered with bristly feathers ; the tongue 
is round like a worm, very long, and sharp 
at the point, which is beset with bristles bent 
backwards. See Plate Nat. Hist. fig. 337. 
'Pile grand characteristic of these birds is 
tbe tongue, the muscles necessary to the 
motions of which are singular and worthy of 
notice, affording the animal means of dart* 
ing it forwards the whole length, or drawing 
it within the mouth at will. Latham enu- 
merates no less than fifty different species 
of woodpeckers, besides varieties of some of 
them which amount to nine more. The most 
remarkable are as follows : 
1. The picus martius, or greatest black 
woodpecker, is about the size of a jackdaw, 
being about 17 inches long; the bill is nearly 
two inches and a half in length, of a dark- 
ash-colour ; the whole bird is black, except 
the crown of the head, which is vermilion. 
The female differs from the male in having 
the hind head only red, and not the whole, 
crown of the head ; and the general colour 
of the plumage has a strong cast of brown 
in it. It has likewise been observed, that 
the red on the hind head lias been wholly 
wanting ; and indeed both male and female 
are apt much to vary in different subjects, 
some having a much greater proportion of 
red on the head than others. This species 
is found on the continent of Europe, but not 
in plenty except in Germany. 
It is said to build in old ash and poplar 
trees, making large and deep nests ; and 
Friesch observes, that they often so excavate 
a tree, that it is soon after blown down with 
the wind ; and that under the hole of this 
bird, may otten be found a bushel of dust 
and bits of wood. The female lays two or 
three white eggs, the colour of which, as 
Willughby observes, is peculiar to the whole 
woodpecker genus, or at least all those which 
have come under his inspection. 
2. The picus principalis, or white-billed 
woodpecker, is somewhat bigger than the 
last, being equal in size to a crow. It is six- 
teen inches long, and weighs about twenty 
ounces. The bill is white as ivory ; the head 
itself, and the body in general, are black. 
This species inhabits Carolina, Virginia, 
New Spain, and Brazil: and is called by the 
Spaniards carpenter, and not without* rea- 
son ; as this as well as most of the other spe-* 
cies make a great noise with the bill 
against the trees in the woods, where 
they may be heard at a. great distance, as if 
carpenters were at wofk ; making, according 
to Catesby, in an hour or two, a bushel of 
chips. 
3. TTie picus erythrocephalus, or red- 
headed woodpecker, is about eight inches 
three quarters long, and weighs two ouuces. 
The bill is an inch and a quarter in length, 
of a lead-colour ; the head and the neck are 
of a most beautiful crimson ; the back and 
wings are black ; the rump, breast, and belly 
are white. The cock and hen are very near- 
ly alike. 
T his species inhabits Virginia, Carolina, 
Canada, and most of the parts of North 
America ; but at the approach of winter, it 
migrates more or less to the southward, ac- 
cording to the severity of the season ; and 
upon ibis circumstance the people of North 
America foretel the rigour or clemency of 
the ensuing winter. During the winter they 
are very tame, and are frequently known to 
come into the houses in the same’ manner as 
the redbreast is wont to do in England. Jt 
is observed that this species is found chiefly 
in old trees ; and the noise they make with 
their bills may be heard above a mile distant, 
It builds the earliest of all the woodpeckers, 
