The whole length of the bird is twenty inches, of which the beak measures six; the point is red, and all the rest is yellowish-green. The prevailing colour is a brilliant black, with tints of green before, and grey ash colour on the back part of the body. The breast is of a fine orange; the belly, sides, thighs, lesser tail-coverts, and the tips of the feathers, are of a lively red. This Tucan inhabits Africa and Brazil; its long and incessant cry has given it the name of _Preacher_. It is as easy to tame as to feed, for it will eat any thing. [Illustration: THE LESSER SPOTTED WOODPECKER.] WOODPECKERS. The birds in this group in general have the beak rectangular, in a few instances very slightly hooked, never thick nor very long. THE GREEN WOODPECKER. Picus viridis, LINNÆUS; Le Pic vert, BUFFON; Der Grünspecht, BECHSTEIN. The length of this bird is twelve inches and a half, but four and a half of these are included in the tail, almost half of which is covered by the folded wings. The beak, an inch and a half in length, is triangular, very pointed, and of a dark grey; the iris is grey; the tongue is five inches long, and furnished, like that of the other woodpeckers, with a horny tip, and strong hairs on each side, so as to be useful in catching and piercing insects. The top of the head to the nape of the neck is of a brilliant crimson; a black streak, which in old birds is often tinged with red, descends on each side of the neck; the upper part of the body is of a beautiful olive green, the under part of a dusky greenish white: some transverse lines may be seen on the belly, which become more distinct on the sides. In the female the colours are paler, and there is less red on the head, which, when it is young, is only grey. HABITATION.--When wild, the green woodpecker, during summer, frequents woods and orchards which are near these, but when the air becomes cold, and the snow begins to fall, it approaches villages, and flies from one garden to another; it passes the night in the holes of trees; when it finds dead, decayed, or worm-eaten ones, it pierces them on all sides with its strong beak, in order to find the insects they conceal. It never attacks a healthy tree, therefore it is not right to kill it as being mischievous; it only taps the bark of trees to make the insects come out, and its strokes are then so quick that they resemble a humming. In the house its fierce and impetuous character makes it necessary to keep it in close confinement. FOOD.--In its wild state it constantly seeks the insects which live under the bark and in the wood of trees; it also eats ants, and in winter will even take bees from the hive. In the house it is fed on nuts, ants' eggs, and meat.