and fides of the neck almoft wholly white: it has a ftreak'from
-the under jaw palling backwards, like the laft, but it is fcarcely
perceivable in a fpecimen now before me.
Briffon quotes many authors who have described this bird, but
I am not clear in its being a diftindt fpeeies ; it is certainly much
more fcarce in England than any other. Buffon is reconciled to
its being a variety only; but if fo, this variety ■ is regular, at dealt
in all the fpecimens- which I have feen.
Picus minor, Lin. Syft. i. p. iy6..N° ig .—-Scop. aim. i . ,49« N0>5^.
Le petit Pic yarie, Brif. ora. iv. p. 41. N° 15.
Le petit^Epeiche, Buf. oif. vii. p. 62.^-Pl. enl. 598. male andfemdU.
Kleiner bunt Speeht, Frifih, t. 37.— Baumbackterl. Kramer 336. N0^.
Picus var^us tertius, dRaiiJSyn. p.-43* N°. .6.
Lefler fpotted Woodpecker, Will. ora. 138. pi. 31.— J ilin , i. pi. 20.
-------- - "■ ■■■ — , Br. Zool. N° 89. pi. 37.—Amer.Zool. N°
Br. Mu/. Lev. Mvf.
D-e s c r ip t io i }', ' I ‘HIS is certainly the leaft of the'European fpeeies, but not of
the genus, as will be : hereafter mentioned. The length is
only five inches.and a half: weight fcarce one ounce. The.bill
is lead-colour: irides red: the upper parts of the body black,
ftriated acrofs-the back-with white : fcapulars and quills fpotted
black and white : -forehead dirty pale'buff:-the crown of the
head crinSfon-: cheeks and fides -of the neck white : the under
parts of the body dirty white-: the four middle tail-feathers are
bla.ck ; the others black and white : legs Jead-colour.
The female has the-top' of the head white, which is red in the
male ; but neither have the vent red, as in the two laft fpeeies.
Soppoli
14. 4- LESSER
SPOTTED
■ W.
Seopoli obferves, that the Ihins are plumofe at the bafe.
Salerne $ fays, this bird is not found in France -, but Buffon Place.
affirms, that it inhabits moft of the provinces there.— The firft
Gentleman fays likewifer that Frifch does not .mention it but
this is not faft; he indeed fays,,it is-rare,-but gives two excellent
figures o f i td v
It approaches near habitations in winter, and may be feen-in the
orchards adjoining, which, no doubt, it does for the fake of food ; -
finding about the trunks of the trees both Caterpillars and Larves-of
infefts of all kinds. It builds in-an hole o f a tree, and often difputes
the right of poffeffion with the little Colemoufe; which laft, as it is •
much weaker of the two, muft yield thevictory.— Willughby tfays,
it is called in England by.- the name of Hick-wait.-
Lmnteus, m his fynonyms of this bird, quotes Haffelquift || for
the Tame; but whoever will diligently read what this author'fays-
of the matter, will be convinced, that the reference fhould be to
the greater rather than' the leaft of’ this-genuS.— It is faid by. him
to inhabit the' higher parts of Afia'. ■
Mr. Sonnerat § mentions a bird found by him-at Antigue,'-in A V ariety-.
the ifland of Panay,,with the top of the head,, and hind part of
* Ora; p .107: f 'Pl. 37. J Or»: p. 138/-
\\-HaJJilquiJl fays, that it is the fize of a Fieldfare j that the crOwn'of the femalt'
is black j whereas in this fpeeies it is white.— He fays, too, that the vent feathers
are red in both fexes j.'but in this" they are fo in neither: that the breaft, in the
male3 is pale fefruginöus, with long lines"of black ; in the femüld, plain j and-
the rump rofe-coloured in both'fexes ;■ and’ that""there is a black line from the
bill, paflingyunder the eyes, to the hind head. All thefe circumfiances convince
me, that it is the greater fpeeies, orat leaft a variety.of it, and by.no means the-
bird laft treated of above.— See Ha/felq. Itin. p. 342. N° Mi*
§: Petit Pic d-Antigue, Son. Foy, p, 118. pi. 77.