V 
THE TOUCAN. 79 
THE GREEN WOODPECKER, (Ficus viridis,) 
Receives his name from the facility with which he 
pecks the insects from the chinks of trees and holes in the 
bark. The bill is straight, strong, and angular at the end ; 
and in most of the species is formed like a wedge, for the 
purpose of piercing the trees. The nostrils are covered 
with bristles. The tongue is very long, slender, cylindrical, 
bony, hard, and jagged at the end. The toes are placed 
two forward and two backward ; and the tail consists of ten 
hard, stiff, and sharp-pointed feathers. A Woodpecker is 
often seen hanging by his claws, and resting upon his 
breast against the stem of a tree ; when, after darting, with 
great strength and noise, his beak against the bark, he runs 
round the tree with great alacrity, which manoeuvre has 
made the country people suppose that he goes round to see 
whether he has not pierced the tree through its trunk ; 
though the fact is, the bird is in search of the insects, which 
he hopes to have driven out by his blow. 
THE TOUCAN, (Famphastos tucanus ,) 
Is a native of South America, very conspicuous for the 
magnitude and shape of his bill. It is about the size of 
