P I c
P I c
PICA, thepye, or magpie, in the Linnsan fyftem of zoology, | PICKERELL, in ichthyology, an Englifh name ufed by Com
the name of one whole order of the bird kind ; the character of which is, that they have a convex beak, flatted above. The birds of this order are, the bird of paradtfe, the mag- pie, the crow, the cuckow, the wood-pecker, the fitta, the creeper, the hoopoe, and the ifpida. Linnai Syfiema Nature, p. 44.
Of this genus of birds, authors enumerate the following fpecies : 1 - The pica varia caudaia, or common magpie. 2 The pica brafilienfis, called toucan. (See the article Touc a n.) 3. The pica glanduria, or common iay. 4. The garrukts a$- gentoratenfts, or roller. (See the article Roller.) 5. 1 he pica marina, or fea fie, a very beautiful fpecies, being all green except the head, neck, and feet, and a fmall part of the wings ; the head is che (hut-coloured on the top, and yel- low at the fides, and its feet brown ; its claws black and very iharp, and it has a fmall variegation of chefnut colour en its wings. This Mr. Ray fufpects, however, to he no other than the garrulus argentoratenfis, or roller. 6. The pica per- Jica, or Perfian tie, variegated with yellow; and two others mentioned by Cbarleton, the pica caudata indica, or long- tailed Indian magpie ; and the mimus, or pica garrula indica ; a bird refembling our jay, but much fmaller : thefe two laft, however, are mentioned by no other author, and have never been feen in Europe. Rays Ornithology, p. 87, 88, 89, 90. Pica is alfo a name by which fome have called the lanius, or butcher bird. Ray's Ornithology, p. 52. See the article Lanius. Pica marina, in ornithology, the name of a bird called in Eng- lifh the fea pie, and by fciellonius and fome others, the heema- topus. It is of the fize of the common magpie; its beak is three fingers breadth long, ftrait, and of a reddiih, or a blackifh colour, and ending in a point, and feeming well fitted for its bufinefs of rooting up the limpets from the rocks the bodies of this fifh being its common food ; its legs are red ; it has no hinder toe, and has its other toes fo far con- nected by a membrane, as to feem almoft of a middle na- ture between the v/eb-footed and other birds ; its head, neck, back, throat, and half its bread are black, as is alfo its rump ; its tail is half black, and half white, as are alfo its wings. It is common on the weflern fhores of England, and on the fhores of Wales. Ray's Ornithology, p. 230. Piqa marina is alfo ufed by Gefner very improperly for the bird commonly known by the name of anas arclica daft. Al-Jra- •uand. de Avib. T. 3. p. 315. See the article Duck. PlCAnafi, in medicine, anamegivenby Cohaufen to the immode- rate taking of muff". It feems a whimfical term, but he chufes to treat this habit as a difeafe, and has written an exprefs trea- tife concerning it. The word pica, in general, denotes an abfurd and unnatural appetite ; and the defire of taking the powder of tobacco in this manner, is called a diftempered appetite of the part into which it is taken, that is, the nofe. The confequences of the talcing in Lift immoderately, are, that the fenfe of fmelling is either entirely deftroyed, or at leaft greatly impaired : for the nervous tubercles of the nof- ' trils being continually vellicated by this powder, are by de- grees clogged up, or wholly deliroyed, and the fenfible mem- brane, which lines the noftrils, is rendered callous, and whol- ly unfit for the difcharge of its office in fmelling. The voice is next affected by this powder ; for it caufes a fort of aftric- tion at the bottom of the nofe, which affects the palate, and confequently the fpeech ; this gives the perfon who takes it a continual defire of taking more and more, to rid himiclf of that ftoppage. C.baufen, de Pica Nafi. PICACIA, a name given by the antients to that diftempered appetite of women with child, and maidens at a certain time of life, which makes them long for things not fit for food. It is more ufually called pica, P1CACUROBA, in zoology, the name of a Brafilian fpecies of pigeon, of a greyifh colour variegated with a reddifh brown, and with very red legs and feet, Marggrave's Hill:, of Brafil. PICARDS (Cycl) — Picard, in our old writers, a kind of large boat, of about fifteen tons or upwards, ufed on the ri ver Severn. Stat. 35 Hen. VIII. c. 9. 13 Eliz. c. 1 1. PICICITLI, in zoology, the name of a bird of the Spanifh Weft Indies, defcribed by Nieremberg. Its head and neck are black, and its whole body grey; it is a fmall bird, and makes its appearance in Mexico after the rainy fcafons ; it is a bird of pafiage, and it is not known where it breeds. Ray Ornithol. p. 305. PICK, among miners, is a tool with which they ufe to cut down the clifts and rocks of ftone to make paffages in the earth Houghton's Compl. Miner in the Explan. of the Terms. PiCK-tf*, in the military art, a tool carried by the pioneers to dig up ground that is too hard for the fpade ; they are of great ufe for mending the ways, and in fortification. PICKER, or borje-ViCK.FR, in the manege, an iron inftrument five or fix inches long, bent or crooked on one fide, and flat and pointed on the other. It is ufed by the grooms to cleanfe the infide of the borfes feet, and to pick out the earth, fand, or fmall (tones that get into them.
authors for the jack or pike, PICOLOS, the name of an antie-nt Pruffian idol, to which hu- man i'aenfice was offered. See the article Potr i mpos. PICOTA, a name given by fome authors to a diftemper which they defcribe as coniifting wholly in an eruption of a num- ber of very minute pimples upon the fkin, all over the body ; it is attended with no danger, unlefs they are ftruck in. PICRIS, in botany, the name given by Linnaeus to a genus of plants called by Vaillant htlmmththeca ; -the characters of which are thefe : The common cup is double ; the outer cup is very large, andcempofed of five cordated leaves; the in- terior is imbricated and or" an oval figure, and is not clofe at the mouth, as the other, but open. *.The flower is of the compound kind, it is imbricated and uniform; and. the fmall flowers of which it is compofed, are equal and numerous ; each is compofed of one petal, and is narrow, ligulatcd, and truncated at the end, where it is divided if to five fegments ; ■ the ftamina are five capillary filaments, fo fhort that they are hardly feen ; the anthefte are cylindric and tubulate ; the ger- men of the piitil Stands under the flower; the ftyle is of the length of the ff.amina, and the ftigmata are two in number, . and reflex. The cups both remain when the flowers are fal- len, and ferve as capfules for the feeds, which are fingle, ven- tricofc, obtufe, and crowned with a plume of down ; the receptacle is naked. .
In fome of the fpecies of this genus, the feeds are crooked, and have a feffile down ; in others they are ftrait, and their down is placed on a pedicle. Ljnr.tzi Gen. PI. p. 377. PICTA toga, among the Romans. See Toga picla. PICTAVIENSIS calica, the name of a kind of very terrible . nervous colic, more ufually called -eoliea pi£ionumi and by the natives in the Weft Indies, where it rages, the dry bei'y-ach. It is fo popular a difeafe in the Leeward jflands, that it may- be very jultly reckoned endemic among them, mod of the people there having been at one time or other fubject to it in all its fury. Seethe article Colic. PICUIPINIMA, in zoology, the name of a Brafilian fpecies of pigeon, very fmall, fcarce exceeding the lark in fize. Its head, neck, and wings, are all of a pale-lead colour, with a black fennlunar mark at the extremity of each wing ; but its long wing feathers, which are feen when the wings are expanded in flying, are of a reddifh-brown on one fide, and blackifh on the other, with black ends or tips ; the tail is long, and is variegated with black, white, and brown ; the belly is covered with white feathers, every one of which has a brown mark of the fhape of a half moon at the end. Marg- grave's Hift. of Brafil. P1CUS, or Picus marina, in zoology, the name of a large ge- nus of birds, of the wood-pecker kind, the characters of which are thefe ; They have a ftrait, very hard, ftrong and fharp beak, proper for making holes in trees ; and a very long cylindrical-fhaped tongue, terminated by a rigid and fharp bony fpine, ferrated or notched at each end, proper for the feizing on, and tearing to pieces, of worms and other infects; and this they can, at pleafure, thruft out to a great length ; and finking it into the clifts of trees, fatten it into infects that lie there, and draw them out with it. Their thighs are very fhort and ftrong, and their toes four in num- ber, placed two before and two behind ; their tads are rigid, and bent downwards, and their feathers bare at the ends, the flumps aflifting the creature in climbing : they live only on infects, and have only ten feathers in their tail. Ray's Or- nithology, p. 9 1 .
Some underftand the word picus in a larger fenfe, making it take in the fitta, picus murar'tus, junco, certhia, and all the birds that climb trees. In which cafe the characters of the genus are only, that they have very fhort, thick, and ftrong legs, adapted to the running up the bodies and branches of trees.* The pici, or wood-peckers, properly fo called, however, are a very large and numerous family; they are, I. The great black wood-pecker, which is all over black, except that the crown of his head is of a fine florid red. This is called the picus niger marimus, by authors, and is the Iargeft of the whole genus : it is common in the woods of Germany, but not in England. 2. The ficus inridis, or common green wood-pecker, well known by its beautiful colours, and its loud and difagrecab'e noife. 3. The picus varius major, the great fpotted wood-pecker. This is fomewhat larger than the thrufli, and has a yellowifh breaft and beautiful rednefs near the tail. 4. The picus varius minor, called in Englifli the hickvjalK (See Hickwail.) 5. The picus varius Bra- filienfts, or fpotted Brafilian wood-pecker, called the ipecu. (See Ipecu.) 6. The jynx, or wry neck. (See Jynx.) j. 1 he jacamaciri of the fjrafilians. 8. Thecurucui. 9. The guira-acangatara. to. The aracari ; and II. The giiira- timgemia; and 12. The japu of the fame nation; all which fee under their feveral names ; and befides all thefe, Aldro- . vandus defcribes another fpecies, which he calls the pious lu- teus cyanopm perjicus, or blue-footed yellow Perfian wood- pecker. This is of the fame fize with the common wood- pecker; but its head and neck are thicker, and its beak longer ; its feet are blue, and its general colour yellow ; but
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