'CI

i [

' I

•.,'--r?/'.",7;''/p^M'"'

FOR THE PEOPLE

FOK EDVCATION

FOR. SCIENCE

LIBRARY

OF

THE AMERICAN MUSEUM

OF

NATURAL HISTORY

h'^^^f)

A,

THE FAUNA OF BRITISH INDIA,

INCLUDING

CEYLON AND BURMA.

publissev under tse authority of the secretary of
State for India in Council.

edited by w. t. blanfoed.

^9. s-2 i<^i

BIRDS.-Vol. III.

BY

W. T. BLANFORD, F.R.S.

LONDON:

TAYLOR AND FRANCIS, RED LION COURT, FLEET STREET,

CALCUTTA: I BOMBAY:

THACKER, SPINK, & CO. | THACKER & CO., LIMITED.

BERLIN :
R. FRIEDLANDER & SOHN, 11 CARLSTRASSE.

1895.

PRINTED BYTATLOK AND TRANCIS,
RED LION COURT, FLEET STREET.

PREFACE.

In the Preface to the second volume, a change in the
original plan of the 'Birds ' was announced. It was still
proposed to complete the work in three volumes, but as the
second was shorter than usual it was announced that the
deficiency would be made good in the third, which would
contain descriptions of all Indian birds except Passeres. As
the work progressed, however, further modification became
necessary, as it was evident that the proposed third volume
would be of inconvenient size, and it has now been decided
to divide it into two. The birds will therefore occupy four
volumes instead of three, and of these the third is herewith
published. The fourth volume is in preparation and a
considerable portion is written. The publishing price of the
last three is reduced, so that the cost of the whole work is
only increased by a very small amount.

Mr. Gates, after writing the two volumes containing the
descriptions of the Passeres, was obliged to return to his
appointment in India, as explained in the Preface to the
second volume. The continuation of the ' Birds ' has been
left in my hands, and I have endeavoured to keep the work
uniform in general plan, and to render the change of author-
ship as little conspicuous as possible ; but I fear there are
many, besides myself, who will see cause for regret that the
able ornithologist who commenced the work was prevented
by circumstances from finishing it.

The birds of which descriptions appear in the present
volume are the Eurylaemi, the various groups known col-
lectively as Picarian or non-Passerine perching birds, the
Parrots, and the nocturnal and diurnal Birds of Prey. Thus
the first three volumes of the present work correspond to
the first two of Jerdon's, and contain the same families of
Birds, though differently arranged.

The question of the system to be employed in dividing the
Birds of India into Orders did not present itself in the first
two volumes, which were occupied by the Passeres, now

IV PREFACE.

regarded by all ornithologists as a distinct order, and the
highest of the class. But in the present volume a general
scheme of classification became a necessity : the arrangement
hitherto adopted in the majority of works on Indian Ornith-
ology — Legge's ' Birds of Ceylon ' and Oates^s ' Birds of
Burmah ' being the most important exceptions — has been
that of Jerdon's great work, and was taken from G. R.
Gray's, which again was but slightly modified from that of
Cuvier. This classification, proposed in the early part of
the present century, when the anatomy of birds had received
but little attention, was founded exclusively on the characters
of the beak and feet. It was soon found that there were
defects in the Cuvierian system, one of the leaders in the
path of reform being Edward Blyth, the pioneer of Indian
scientific ornithology ; but it was long before a satisfactory
natural system could be devised, and even now birds are by
no means so clearly arranged, or divided into orders so well
defined, as mammals and reptiles are. Still some of the
later attempts to arrange the intricate groups of birds have
been fairly successful in consequence of their depending not
on one or two characters but on several, of their taking into
consideration both internal anatomy and external structure,
and of their making use of such clues to affinity as are
afforded by nidification^ oology, and the changes of plumage
in the young.

The system adojjted in the present work is, in the main,
identical with those of Sharpe and Gadow, and differs in no
important point from the classifications of Sclater and
Newton. Beferences will be found on page 15. The chief
difference between the plan here followed and those proposed
by the ornithologists named, is that no attempt has been
made in the present work to arrange in larger categories the
groups here termed orders. This is due to the circumstance
that there is a much wider general agreement as to the
distinctness of the smaller ordinal or subordinal groups
than as to their relations to each other.

The principal anatomical characters by which the different
orders are distinguished are furnished by the bones of the
palate, shoulder-girdle and sternum, and the vertebrae; by
the occurrence of cseca in the intestines, the presence or
absence of particular muscles in the thigh, and the characters
of the deep plantar tendons. Amongst the external cha-
racters, pterylosis, or the disposition of the feathers with
regard to the clad and naked tracts of the body {pterylce and

PREFACE. V'

apteria), the presence or absence of an aftershaft on the
body-feathers^ the occurrence of down, the presence or
absence of a uropygial oil-gland, and its being tufted, i. e.
partially surrounded by a circlet of feathers, or naked, and
the number of remiges and rectrices, are amongst the points
of importance. Latterly, since the late Mr. R. S. Wray, in
the ' Proceedings of the Zoological Society ' for 1887, showed
that, in several orders, the fifth secondary quill or cubital,
counting from the distal extremity of the ulna, is wanting,
some importance has been attached to the fact, and those
birds have been termed quincubital which retain the remex
in question, whilst those forms in which it is absent are dis-
tinguished as aquincubital.

Most of the terms employed are easily understood, but
four diagrams are added for the explanation of the names
applied to the bones of the palate and the muscles of the
thigh. The tAVO figures illustrative of the former, which are
used by permission of their author, the late Professor Huxley,
and are taken from his classical paper in the 'Proceedings of
the Zoological Society ' for 1867, serve to explain the two
most important types of palatal structure in carinate birds —
the " schizognathous " and " desmognathous.^^ In the des-
mognathous palate the maxillo-palatines are united across
the median line, and the vomer is either small and slender
or rudimentary. In schizognathous skulls the maxillo-
palatines are usually elongate and lamellar and do not unite
either with the vomer or with each other. In both the
vomer, if present, is pointed in front, not broadly truncated
as in the aegithognathous type, represented by the Raven
(Vol. I. p. 4) . There are other distinctions in these three
types of bony palate, but those mentioned are the most con-
spicuous. The fourth principal type, the dromasognathous,
is not found in any Indian birds.

The muscles of the thigh are shown in the two figures
taken from the works of Garrod and Forbes, the former of
whom attached great importance to them as evidence of
affinity. The ' ambiens ' muscle was regarded by him as
afibrding a clue to the whole system, and by means of it he
divided all Carinate birds into Ilomalogonatse, in which the
muscle (with a few aberrant exceptions) was present, and
the Anomalogonatse, in which it was absent. The other thigh-
muscles, to the presence or absence of which he attached
importance, were the femoro-caudal, accessory femoro-caudal,
semitendinosus, and accessory semitendinosus.

VI PREFACE.

The parts of the sternum occasionally mentioned in the
descriptions of orders are well known, with perhaps the ex-
ception of the manubrium or manubrial process, called by-
some writers the rostrum. This is a simple or compound
process, projecting forward at the middle of the anterior
border, just where the keel of the sternum joins the body,
and in front of the inner terminations of the coracoids. It
comprises a distal spine {spina externa) and a proximal one
[spina interna), either of which may be wanting. The spina
externa is either simple or forked.

The descriptions in this, as in other volumes of the Fauna
of British India, are taken from the magnificent series of
Indian Birds in the British Museum (Natural History), and
every facility and assistance has been afforded to Mr, Oates
and myself by Sir W. H. Flower, the Director of the Natural
History Museum, and Dr. A. Giinther, Keeper of the De-
partment of Zoology. Especially we are under the greatest
obligations to the oflEicers in charge of the bird collection.
Dr. R. B. Sharpe and Mr. W. B. Ogilvie Grant, for aid of
every kind most freely and kindly afforded during the pro-
gress of the present work. Mr. Oates, when he left England,
made over to me all the notes he had prepared for the con-
tinuation of the work, and they have been of very great
service. I have also to express my obligations to Dr. J. A.
Waddell for a proof in advance of his excellent notes on
Sikhim birds prepared for the 'Gazetteer' of that province; to
Col. C. T. Bingham and Mr. Hauxwell for information about
Burmese species ; and to Dr. Warth and Mr. W. M. Daly
for lists of birds obtained in the Shevroy Hills.

Whilst I regret that this is not the last of the series of
volumes containing the descriptions of Indian Yertebrata, I
hope the final part will not be long delayed.

W. T. BLANFORD.

August 1st, 1895.

Figures to illustrate Structure of Palate.

Pmx.

Under view of the skull of Charadrius plu-
vialis, to illustrate the schizognathous type
of palate.

Under view of the skull of Cuculus canorus,
to illustrate the desmognathous type of
palate.

These two figures are copied by permission from the late Prof. Huxley's paper on the
Classification of Birds (P. Z. S. 1867, pp.427, 444). — Pmx, the premaxilla; Mx, the maxilla;
Mxp, its maxillo-palatine process ; PI, the palatine bone ; Vo, the vomer ; Pi, the pterygoid ;
Qu, the quadrate bone ; X the basipterygoid process ; * the prefrontal process .

" In the large assemblage of birds belonging to the Ouvierian orders Gallinoe, Grallse, and
Natatores, which may be termed Schizognathous, the vomer, sometimes large and sometimes
very small, always tapers to a point anteriorly ; while posteriorly it embraces the basi-
sphenoidal rostrum, between the palatines.

" The maxiUo-palatines are usually elongated and lamellar ; they pass inwards over the
anterior processes of the palatine bones, with which they become united, and then bending
backwards, along the inner edge of the palatines, leave a broader or a narrower fissure
between themselves and the vomer and do not unite with it or with one another." —
Huxley, P. Z. S. 1867, p. 426.

" In Desmognathous birds the vomer is often either abortive, or so small that it dis-
appears from the skeleton. When it exists it is always slender and tapers to a point anteriorly .

" The maxillo-palatines are united across the middle line, either directly or by the inter-
mediation of ossifications in the nasal septum.

" The posterior ends of the palatines and the anterior ends of the pterygoids articulate
directly with the rostrum, as in the preceding division" [and not with the diverging posterior
ends of the vomer as in Dromasognathous birds and generally in Ratit^e]. — Huxley, I. c. p. 435.

In the Mgithognathous type of palate (figured Vol. I. of the present work, p. 4), " the
vomer is a broad bone, abruptly truncated in front, and deeply rfeft behind, embracing the
rostrum of the sphenoid between its forks. The palatines have produced postero-external
angles. The maxillo-palatines are slender at their origin, and extend inwards and backwards
obliquely over the palatines, ending beneath the vomer in expanded extremities, which do not
become united by bane, either with one another or with the vomer." — Huxley, I. c. p. 450.

Figures <to illustrate Muscles of Thigh.

Outer view of right thigh of Common Fowl, partially dissected. (Copied from
Garrod's figure, P. Z. S. 1873, p. 627.)
,^, sartorius ; ve, vastus exteruus ; bo and bi, biceps, origin and insertion ; f.f, tensor fascia
(gluteus primus) ; fc, femoro-caudal ; afc, accessory femoro-caudal ; si, semitendinosus ; asi,
accessory semitendinosus ; sm, semimembranosus ; Ad, adductor ; P, pubis ; B, rectrices.

6.

Thigh of Tonraco ( Corythaix) viewed from tlie inner side, to show the ambiens muscle,
arising from the prepubic side of the pelvis (P) and running along to blend with one
of the tendons of origin of the flexor perfor. digitorum (f.p.).—F, femur ; Ft, patella;
I.e., inner condyle of femur ; T, tibia ; b, biceps (cut short) ; s, sartorius (also cut) ;
e, e, extensor femoris ; S7n, semimembranosus ; add, adductores.

N-B. — The surrounding parts have been somewhat distorted from their natural positions
to show better the course of the ambiens. (Copied from Forbes's figure, Ibis, 1881, p. 9.)

SYSTEMATIC INDEX.

Page

Order EUEYL^MI 1

Fam. EuRYL^MiD^ 2

1. Eurylsemus, Kori^f 3

1. javaiiicus, Horsf. .... 4

2. ochromelas, Raffies . . 5

2. Cory don, Lesson 5

1. sumatranus (Raffles) . , 6

3. Cymborhynchus, Vigors. . 7

1. macrorhynclius {Gm.) 7

2. affinis, Blyth 8

4. Seriloplms, Swahis 8

1. lunatus (Gould) 9

2. rubripygius {Hodgs.) . 9

5. Psarisomus, Sivains 11

1. dalhousife (J«mesow). . 11

6. Calyptomena, Raffles .... 12

1. viridis, Raffles 12

Order PICI 14

Fam. PiciD^ 16

Subfam. Picmce 17

1. Gecinus, Boie 18

1. squamatus ( Fi^ors) .. 19

2. gorii, Hargitt 20

3. striolatus (Blyth) 20

4. viridanus {Blyth) .... 22

5. occipitalis ( Vigors) . . 22

6. chlorolophus ( Vieill.). . 23

7. cborogaster {Jerdoti) . . 2.5

8. puniceus (Horsf.) .... 26

9. nigrigenis, Hume .... 26

2. Cbrysophlegma, Gould . . 27

1. flavinucha (Gould) . . 28

2. humii, Hargitt 28

VOL. HI.

Page

3. Callolophus, Salvad 29

1. malaccensis (Lath.) . . 29

4. Gecinulus, Blyth 30

1. grantia (McClell.) .... 30

2. viridis, Blyth 31

5. Hypopicus, Bonap 32

1. hyperythrus (F«V/ors) . 32

6. Dendrocopus, Koch 33

1. himalayensis (Jard. ^

Selby) 34

2. cabanisi (Malh.) 35

3. sindianus (Gould) .... 36

4. darjilensis (Blyth) .... 37

5. cathpharius [Hodgs.) . . 37

6. pyrrhotborax (Hume).. 38

7. raacii ( Vieill.) 39

8. atratus (Blyth) 40

9. auriceps (Vigors) 40

10. pectoralis (Blyth) 41

11. andamanensis (Blyth) . 42

7. Liopicus, Bonaj) 43

1. niahrattensis (Lath.) . . 43

8. lyngipicus, Bonap 44

1. semicoronatus (Malh.) 45

2. pygmaeiis ( Vigors) .... 45

3. canicapillus (Blyth) . . 46

4. hardwickii (Jerdon) . . 47

5. gymnopbthalmus

(Blyth) 48

9. Pyrrbopicus, Malh 49

1. pyrrbotis (Hodgs.). ... 50

2. rubiginosus (Swains.). . 51

10. Miglyptes, Swains 52

1 . grammithorax (Malh.) 52

2. tukki (Lesson) 53

3. jugularis (Blyth) .... 54

11. Microptermis, Blyth .... 54

1. pbseoceps, Blyth 55

2. bracbyurus (FiW//.) .. 57

3. gularis (Jerdon) 57

b

SYSTEMATIC INDEX.

Page

12. Brachyptemus, Strickl. . . 58

1. aurantius (Linn.) 58

2. erythronotus ( Vieill.) . . 60

13. Tiga, Kaup 61

1. javanen.sis {Ljunr/) . . 61

2. shorei ( Vigors) 62

14. Gauropicoides, Malh 63

1. rafflesi ( Vigors) 63

15. Chrysocolaptes, Blyfh. ... 64

1. festivus {Boddaert) . . 64

2. gutticristatus {Tichell). 65

3. stricklandi {Layard) . . 67

16. Hemicercus, Swains 68

1. sordidus {Eyton) 68

2. canente {Less.) 69

17. Hemiloplius, Swains 70

1. pulverulentus ( Temm.~) 71

18. Thriponax, Cab. ^ Heine . 72

1. hodgsoni (Jerdon) .... 72

2. feddeni {Blanf.) .... 73

3. javensis (Horsf.) .... 74

4. hodgii {Blyth) 75

Subfam. Picwnnince 75

1. Picuninus, Temm 75

1. innominatus, Burton. . 76

2. Sasia, Hudgs 77

1. ochracea, Hodgs 77

Subfam. lyngince 78

1, lynx, Linn 78

1. torquilla, Linn 78

Order ZYGODACTYLI .... 80

Fam. Indicatorid.e 81

1. Indicator, Vieill 81

1. xanthonotus, Blyth . . 81

Fam. Capitonid^ 82

1. Calorhamphus, Lesson . . 83

1. hayi (Gray) 83

2. Megalsema, G. R. Gray . . 84

1. marshallorum, Sivinh. . 84

2. virens (Bodd.) 86

3. Thereiceryx, Blanf 86

1. zeylonicus {Gmel.). ... 86

2. lineatus ( Vieill.) 88

3. viridis {Bodd.) 89

4. Chotorhea, Bonap 90

1. mystacophane3(7'em»i.) 91

5. Cyanops, Bonap 92

1 asiatica (Lath.) 92

Page

2. davisoni {Hume) .... 93

3. incognita {Hume) 94

4. flavifrons (C'uvier) .... 94

5. cyanotis (Blyth) .... 95

6. franklini (Blyth) 96

7. ramsayi ( Walden) .... 97
6. Xantholsema, Bonap 97

1. hsematocephala (P. L.

S.Milll.) 98

2. malabarica {Blyth) 99

3. rubricapilla (Gmel.) . . 100

Order ANISODACTYLI.... 101

Suborder Cokaci^ 102

Fam. CoRACiAD^ 102

1. Coracias, Linn 103

1. indica, Linn 103

2. affinis, McClelland . . 105

3. garrula, Lin7i 106

2. Eurystomus, Vieill. 107

1. orientalis (Linn.) .... 107

Suborder Meropes 109

Fam. JSIeropid^ 109

1. Merops, Linn 109

1. viridis, Linn 110

2. philippinus, Linn Ill

3. persicus, Pall 112

4. apiaster, Linn 113

2. Melittophas-us, Boie 114

1. swinhoii (Hume) .... 114

3. Nyctiornis, Swains 115

1. athertoni(/rtr^. ^-iSe^*^.) 115

2. amictus {Temm.) .... 117

Suborder Halcyones

118

Fam. Alcedinid^ 118

1. Ceryle, 5o?e 119

1 . varia, Strickl 119

2. lugubris (Temm.) .... 121

2. Alcedo, Linn 122

1. ispida, Linn 122

2. beavaui, Wald. 124

3. meninting, Horsf. .... 125

4. grandis, Blyth 125

5. eurvzona, Temm 126

SYSTEMATIC INDEX.

3. Ceyx, Lacep

1. tridactyla (Fall.)

4. Pelargopsis, Gloger

1. amauroptera {Pearson)

2. leucocephala(Gr7?je^.)- •

3. gurial (Pearson)

5. Halcyon, Swains

1. smyrnensis (Linn.) . .

2. pileata ( Bodd.)

6. Callialcyon, Bonap

1. lilacina (Swains.) . . . .

7. Sauropatis, Cab

1. chloris (Bodd.)

2. occipitalis (Blyth) . .. .

8. Caridagrus, Cab

1. concretus ( Temm.) . . .

9. Oarcineutes, Cab

1. pulchellus (Horsf.) .

Suborder Bucerotes...

127

127

128

128

129

129

131

132

133

134

134

135

135

137

138

138

138

139

140

Fam. BucEROTiDJE 140

9

Dichoceros, Gloger 142

1. bicornis (Linn.) 142

Anthracoceros, Reich. . . . 143

1. coronatus (Bodd.) 144

2. albirostris {Shaw Sf

Nodd.) 145

Kbytidoceros, Reich 146

1. undulatus (Shatv) 147

2. subruficollis (Blyth) . . 148

3. narcondami, Hii7ne . . 149
Aceros, Hodgs 149

1. nepalensis (Hodgs.) . . 149
Anorrbinus, Reich 150

1. galeritus (Temm.) .... 151
Ptilolsemus, Grant 151

1. tickelli (Blyth) 151

2. austeni (Jerdon) 153

Berenicornis, Bonap 153

1. comatus (Raffi.) 153

Lopboceros, Hemp. 8f Ehr. 154

1. birostris (Scop.) 155

2. griseus (Lath.) 156

3. gingalensis (Shaw) .... 157
, Rbinoplax, Gloger 158

1. vigil (Forster) 158

Suborder Upup^ .... 159

Fam. IJptJPiD^ 159

1. Upupa, Linn 1^9

1. epops, Linn 159

2. indica, Reich 161

Order MACROCHIRES .... 162
Suborder Oy p s E l i 162

Fam. Cypselid^ 163

Subfam. Cypselince 163

1. Cypselus, Illiger 164

1. melba (Linn.) 164

2. apus (Linn.) 165

3. murinus, Brehm 166

4. pacificus (Z«M«?n.) . . . . 167

5. leuconyx, Bhjth 167

6. affinis, Gray 168

7. subfurcatus, Blyth 169

2. Tacbornis, Gosse 170

1. batassiensis (G^rfiy) .. 170

2. infumatus (Scluter) . . 171

Subfam. Chceturince 172

1. Cbaetura, Stephens 172

1. nudipes, Hodgs 172

2. indica, Hume 173

3. sylvatica (Tickell).. . . 174

4. leucopygialis (Blyth) . . 175

2. Collocalia, G. R. Gray . . 175

1. fuciphaga (Thunb.) . . 176

2. brevirostris {McClel-

land) 177

3. innominata, Hume. . . . 177

4. francica (Gmel.) 178

5. lincbi, Horsf. 8f M. . . 178

Subfam. Macropteryginm 179

1. Macropteryx, Swains 179

1. coronata (Tickell) 180

2. \o\igvpBrm\&(Rafinesque) 181

3. comata, Blyth 182

Suborder Caprimulgi 182

Fam. Caprimtjlgid^ 183

1. Caprimulgus, Linn 183

1. mabrattensis, Sykes . . 184

2. monticola, Franklin . . 185

3. asiaticus, Lath 186

4. europseus, Linn 187

5. macrurus, Horsf. .... 188

6. andamanicus, Hume . . 190

7. indicus, Laih 190

2. Lyncornis, Gould 19^

1. cerviniceps, Gould .... 192

SYSTEMATIC INDEX.

Page

Suborder Podargi 193

Fam. PoDARGiDJE 193

1. Batracliostomus, Gould . . 194

1. hodgsoni {G. R. Gray). 194

2. affinis, Blyth 196

3. moniliger, Layard. ... 196

Order TROGONES 198

Fam. Trogonid^ 198

1. Harpactes, Sioains 199

1. fasciatus (Pennant) . . 199

2. erythrocephalus((?oMW) 200

3. duvauceli ( Temm.) . . 201

4. orescius {Temm.) .... 202

Order COCCYGES 203

Fam. CucuLiD^ 203

Subfam. Cuculince 204

1. Cuculus, Li7m 204

1. canorus, Liyin 205

2. satm-atiis, Hodgs 207

3. poliocephalus, Lath. . . 208

4. micropterus, Gould . . 210

2. Hierococcyx, *S^. ilfM. ..211

1. sparverioides (Fz]^'.) .. 211

2. varius ( r«/;/) 213

3. nisicolor (Hodgs.) .... 214

4. nanus, Hume . 215

3. Cacomantis, *S'. Milll. 216

1. passerinus ( Vahl) .... 216

2. merulinus (Scop.) .... 218

4. Pentlioceryx, Cab 219

1. sonnerati (Lath.) .... 219

5. Cbrysococcyx, Bote .... 220

1. xantliorbyncbus

(Horrf.) 221

2. maculatus (Gmel.) 222

6. Surniculus, Lesson 223

1. lugubris (Horsf.) 223

7. Coccystes, Gloyer 224

1. jacobinus (Bodd.) .... 225

2. coromandus (Linn.) . . 226

Subfam. Pha^nicophain(B

227

1. Eudynamis, Vig. ^ Horsf. 228
1. bonorata (Linn.) .... 228

2. Zanclostomus, Swains. . . 230

1. javanicus (Horsf.) .... 230

Page

3. Rbopodytes, Cab. 8f Heine. 230

1. viridirostris (Jerd.) . . 231

2. tristis (Less.) 232

3. diardi (Less.) 233

4. sumatranus (Raffi.) . . 233

4. Phcenicopbaes, Vieillot . . 234

1. pyrrhocepbakis

(Forster) 234

5. Rbampbococcyx, Cah. . . 235
1. erythrog-nathus (Hart-

laub) 235

6. Rbinortba, Vig 236

1. chlorophjea (Rajffl.) . . 236

7. Taccocua, Less 237

1. leschenaulti, iess 237

8. Centropus, Llliger 239

1. sinensis (Steph.) 239

2. cblororbyncbus, Blyth. 242

3. andamanensis, Tytler. . 242

4. bengalensis (Gmel.) . . 243

Order PSITTACI 245

Fam. PsiTTACiD^ 245

1. Palpeornis, Vig 246

1. eupatria (Linn.) 247

2. nepalensis, Hodgs 248

3. indoburmanicus,

Htane 249

4. magnirostris, Ball. . . . 249

5. torquatus (Bodd.) .... 250

6. cyanocepbalus (Linn.) . 251

7. rosa (Bodd.) 252

8. scbisticeps, Hodgs. . . . 253

9. tiuscbi, Hume 254

10. columboides, Vig 255

1 1 . calthropse, Layard .... 256

12. fasciatus (Midi.) 256

13. caniceps, Blyth 258

14. erytbrogenj's, Blyth . . 258

15. tytleri, Hume 259

2. ViAiUmm, Blyth 259

1. incertus (Shaw) 260

3. Loriculus, Blyth 260

1. vernalis (Sparrm.) . . 261

2. indicus (Gmel.) 262

Order STRIGES 263

Fam. Strigid^ 264

1. Strix, iwm 264

1. flammea, Linn 264

2. Candida, TicJcell 266

SYSTEMATIC INDEX.

XUl

Page

Fam. AsioNiD^ 267

Subfam. Photodilince 2G8

1. Photodilus, 7s. Geoffr. . . 268

1. badius {Horsf.) 268

2. assimilis, Hume 269

Subfam. Asionince 270

1. Asio, Briss 270

1. otus {Linn.) 270

2. accipitrinus {Pall.) , . 271

2. Syrnium, Saiigny 273

1. nivicola {Hodgs.) 273

2. biddulphi, Scully 274

3. indrani {Sykes) 275

4. ocellatum, Less 277

5. seloputo (Horsf.) 278

6. butleri {Hume) 279

Subfam. Bubonince 280

1. Ketupa, Less 280

1. zeylonensis {Gmel.) .. . 281

2. flavipes {Hodgs.) 282

3. javanensis, Less 283

2. Bubo, Dujneril 283

1. ignavus, Forster 284

2. bengalensis(i^ranM). . 285

3. coromandus {Lath.) . . 286

3. Huhua, Hodgs 287

1. nepalensis {Hodgs.) . . 287

2. orientalis {Horsf.) .... 289

4. Nyctea, Stephens 289

1. scandiaca {Linn.) .... 290

5. Scops, Saviqny 290

1. giu {Scop.) 291

2. brucii {Hume) 294

3. spilocepbalus {Blyth). . 295

4. balli {Hume) 296

5. sagittatus {Cass.) .... 296

6. bakkamcBua {Pennant) 297

7. semitorques {Schl.) . . 300

6. Athene, Boie 300

1. brama {Temm.) 301

2. blewitti {Hume) 303

3. bactriana, Blyth 303

7. Glaucidium, Boie 304

1. cuculoides ( Vig.) .... 305

2. radiatum {Tick.) .... 306

3. castanonotum {Blyth) . 307

4. brodiei {Burton) .... 307

8. Wmox, Hodgs 309

1. scutulata {Baffl.) 309

2. obscura, Hume 311

VOL. III.

Order ACCIPITRES 312

Fam. Pandionid^ 313

1. Pandion, Savigny 313

1. haliaetus {Linn.) .... 314

Fam. VuLTUBiD^ 315

1. Vultur, Linn 316

1. monachus, Linn «317

2. Otogyps, G. P. Gray 318

1. calvus {Scop.) 318

3. Gyps, Savigny 319

1. fulvus {G7nel.) 320

2. bimalayensis, Hume . . 321

3. indicus {Seop.) 322

4. tenuirostris, Hodgs. . . 323

4. Pseudogyps, Sharpe .... 324

1. bengalensis {Gmel.) . . 324

5. Neophron, Sav 325

1. ginginianus {Lath.) . . 326

2. percnopterus {Linn.) . . 327

Fam. Falconid^ 327

Subfam. Gypaetince 328

1. Gypaetus, Storr 328

1. barbatus {Linn.) .... 328

Subfam. Falconince 330

1. Aquila, Briss 332

1. cbrysaetus {Linn.) .... 333

2. heliaca, Sav 334

3. bifasciata, Gray 336

4. vindhiaua, Franklin . . 337

5. fulvescens, Gray .... 339

6. maculata {Gmel.) .... 340

7. bastata {Less.) 341

2. Hieraetus, Kaup 342

1. fasciatus ( Vieill.) 343

2. pennatus {Gmel.) .... 344

3. Lopbotriorchis, Sharpe , . 345

1. kieneri {Spar re) 345

4. Ictiuaetus, Jerd 346

1. malayensis (Beinw.) . . 347

5. Spizaetus, Vieill 348

1. cirrbatus {Gmel.) .... 349

2. limnaetus {Horsf). . . . 351

3. nepalensis {Hodgs.) . . 352

4. kelaarti, Legr/e 354

5. albiniger {Blyth) 354

6. Circaetus, Vieill 355

1. gallicus {Gmel.) 355

c

XIV

SYSTEMATIC INDEX.

7. Spilornis, G. R. Gray 357

1. cheela {Latham) 357

2. minimus, Hume 361

3. elgini ( Tytler) 361

8. Butastur, Hodgs 362

1. teesa {Franklin) .... 362

2. liventer {Tevnn.) 364

3. indicus {Gmel.) 365

9. Haliaetus, Sav 366

1 . leucoryphiis {Pall.) . . 366

2. leucogaster {Gmel.) . . 368

3. albicilla (Limi.) 369

10. Polioaetus, Kauj} 369

1. ichthyaetus {Ilorsf.). . 370
2.hunulis{Mull.^SchL) 371

11. Haliastur, Selbi/ 372

1. indus {Bodd.) 372

12. Milvus, Cuv 374

1 . govinda, Si/kes 374

2. melanotis, Temm. Sf

Schleg 377

3. migrans {Bodd.) .... 378

13. Elanus, Sav 379

1. cseruleus (Desf.) .... 379

14. Circus, Lacep. . 380

1. macrurus {S. G. Gmel.) 381

2. cineraceus {Montagu) . 383

3. cyaneus {Linn.) 384

4. melanoleucus (Forster). 385

5. seruginosus {lAnn.) . . 387

6. spilonotus, Kaup .... 388

15. Buteo, Cuv 389

1. ferox {S. G. Gmel.) . . 390

2. leucocephalus, Hodgs. . 392

3. desertorum {Baud.) . . 393

16. Archibuteo, Brehm 395

1. hemiptilopus, Blgtk . . 395

17. Astur, Lac^p 396

1. palumbarius {Linn.) . . 397

Page

2. badius {Gmel.) 398

3. soloen8is {Horsf.) .... 400

18. Lophospizias, Kaup 400

1. trivirgatus(7'eJn?«.) .. 401

19. Accipiter, Briss 402

1. nisus {Liim.) 402

2. virgatus {Reimv.) .... 404

20. Pernis, Cuv 405

1. cristatus {Cuv.) 406

21. Machferhamphus, Wes-

terman 408

1 . aloinus, Westerm 408

22. Baza, Hodgs 408

1. lophotes {Tenmi.) .... 409

2. jerdoni {Blyth) 411

3. ceylonensis, Legge .... 411

23. Falco, Linn 412

1. peregrinus, Tunst 413

2. peregrinator, Sundev. . 415

3. barbarus, Linn 417

4. jugger, Gray 419

5. clierrug. Gray 420

6. milvipes, Hodgs 42]

7. subbuteo, Linn 422

8. severus, Horsf. 423

24. Erythropus, Brehm 424

1. amurensis, Gurney. . . . 424

25. ^salon, Kaup 426

1. regulus {Pall.) 426

2. chicquera {Baud.), . . . 427

26. Tinniiuculus, Vieill 428

1. alaudarius {Gtnel.) . . 428

2. cenchris {Naum.) .... 430

27. Microhierax, Sharpe .... 431

1. eutolmus, Hodgs 432

2. melanoleucus, Blyth . . 433

3. friu^illarius {Drap.) . . 434

28. Polioliierax, Kaup 434

1. insignis, Wald. 435

Fig. 1. — Psarisomus dalhousm and nest (from Hodgson's drawing).

Order II. EURYL^MI.

Palate aegithognathous (Vol. I, p. 4). The deep plantar tendons
differ from those of the Passeres in the flexor longus hallucis being
connected by a vinculum with the Jiexor profundus digitorum, as
shown in the accompanying figure (fig. 2). Syrinx mesomyodian
(Vol. I, p. 6) and ohgomyodian as in Pittidce (Forbes, P. Z, S.
1880, p. 384). The sternum, as in the Passeres, has but one notch
on each side of the hinder border (Sclater, Ibis, 1872, p. 179, also
p. 370), but the manubrium sterni (spina externa) is unforked, as
in most non-Passerine birds. Oil-gland present but nude.

YOL. III. J!

EURTLjEMID^.

The relations of the Eiirylcemi or Broadbills to other birds have
long been in dispute. At one time members of the present group
were referred to the neighbourhood of Coracias. But, chiefly
through the researches of Blanchard, Garrod, and Forbes, the close
a,lliance^between the Eurylcemi and Passerine birds has now been

Fig. 2. — Left foot of Cymhorhynchus macrorhynchus, from behind. The skin
has been turned aside and the sujjerficial flexors removed, so as to show the
deep plantar tendons. I, II, III, IV, first, second, third and fourth toes;
f.l.h., flexor lovgus JiaUucis ; f.'p.d., flexor prof undus digitorum ; V, vinculum.
(Forbes, P. Z. S. 1880, p. 382.)

ascertained, and the only question remaining is whether the
Broadbills should be included in the Passerine group as a distinct
section, or whether they should form a suborder or order apart.
The latter is the view advocated by Seebohm and Sharpe, and
accepted, as a provisional arrangement, in the present work.
There is but a single family, confined to the Oriental region.

Family EURYL^MID^.

Bill normally broad and flat as in some Muscicapidce. Feet
adapted for perching ; hind toe large, anterior toes joined at the
base, the outer and middle toes (third and fourth) having only the
last phalanx free (fig. 2). Tarsi reticulated behind, transversely
scutellated in front, the scutellation often ill-marked and in some
genera disappearing entirely on the inner anterior side of the
tarsus. Tail generally rounded, often graduated.

eubtljEmus. 3

The Broadbills are forest birds living generally in small flocks
amongst high trees, and feeding as a rule on insects. They are
often remarkably tame, some of thena being, it is said, so unwilling
to move that several out of the same flock may be shot one after
the other, without the survivors being alarmed. They build large
round nests of grass and fibres, somewhat resembling those of the
Nectariniidce, suspended from a fine twig and with an opening at
the side (fig. 1). The eggs as a rule are white or cream-coloured,
much speckled, especially towards the larger end, but occasionally
they are spotless.

The genera in this family are more distinct than is usually the
case amongst Birds, each being distinguished by a peculiar type of
coloration. No species occur in the Peninsula of India, nor in
Ceylon, but the range of the family extends from the Western
Himalayas to the Philippines and Borneo, the majority inhabiting
the Malay Peninsula.

Key to the Oenera.

a. Nostrils exposed.

a' . Tail shorter than wing.

a". Sides of upper mandible convex and
overhanging.
a^ Region below eye feathered .... Exjuyljemus, p. 3.
IP. Rf^gion below eye nude; bill very

broad Corydon, p. 5.

b". Sides of upper mandible straight, not
overhanging,
c^. Nostrils elongate, about ^ length

of bill from forehead Cymborhynchus, p. 7.

d^. Nostrils rounded, at base of bill . . Serilophus, p. 8.
b'. Tail longer than wing Psarisomus, p. 11.

b. Nostrils concealed by loral plumes Calyptomena, p. 12.

Genus EURYLiEMUS, Horsfield, 1821.

Bill large, broad and flat, culmen very blunt, sides of upper
mandible overhanging and convex near the gape. Nostrils rounded,
exposed, at base of bill. Wings and tail rounded, the wing much
longer than the tail. Rictal bristles present but small. Scutellation
of tarsus in front almost obsolete, inside of tarsus covered with an
undivided lamina.

Upper plumage chiefly black and yellow ; lower plumage wholly
or in part vinaceous red. Two species are known, ranging from
Tenasserim to the Malay Archipelago.

Key to the Species.

Larger ; head and neck dark vinaceous red E.javanicKs, p. 4.

Smaller ; head and throat black E. ochromelas, p. 5.

b2

BFEYLyi:MIDyE.

937. Eurylaemus javanicus. HorsfieUVs Broadhill.

Eurylaimus javanicus, Horsfield, Trans. Linn. Soc. xiii, p. 170 (1821) ;

Blyth, Cat. p. 195 ; Horsf. ^- M. Cat. p. 116. ^
Eurylsemus javanicus, Blyth, Birds Bnrm. p. 125 ; Hwne, S. F. ii,

p. 470 ; id. Cat. no. 139 ter ; Davison, S. F. v, p. 456 ; Hume 8)-

Dav. S. F. vi, pp. 89, 499 ; Bingham, S. F. ix, p. 157 ; Oates, B. B.

i, p. 427 ; id. in Hume's N. &• E. 2nd ed. p. 294 ; Sclater, Cat,

B. M. xiv, p. 463.

Head of L. javanicus.

Coloration. Male. Whole head aud neck deep purplish red,
lores blackish, crown and nape very dark, ear-coverts much
brighter ; a very narrow white line below the eye ; hind neck
brownish, back and upper tail-coverts mixed black and bright
yellow, basal portion of interscapulary feathers white ; wings
black, each primary with a yellow spot at the base, each secondary
with a long yellow spot on the outer weh, inner webs of all quills
whitish near the base ; tail black, all feathers except the middle
pair with a subterminal fulvous white spot or band. Lower parts
vinaceous red, the throat washed with dusky bronze, a narrow
black band across the breast and a distinctly bronzed gorget behind
it, lower breast and abdomen brighter red ; under wing-coverts
mostly yellow, edge of wing the same, thigh-coverts dark brown.

Female. Similar, but without the black pectoral band.

Young birds have the head and nape yellowish brown, the shafts
of the feathers brighter yellow; lower plumage yellowish throughout.

Upper mandible bright blue to within one-third of tip ; rest
of upper mandible pale sea-green ; lower mandible pale greenish
blue ; both mandibles edged and tipped with brownish red ; irides
bright blue ; legs and feet fleshy ; claws brown (Davison).

Length 9 inches ; tail 2'9 ; wing 4'3 ; tarsus 1 ; bill from gape
1"6. The female is slightly smaller.

Distribution. Karennee ; Tenasserim as far north as Moulmeiu,
probably farther north on the hills to the eastward ; Malay
Peninsula, Sumatra, Java, and Borneo.

Habits, 4'c. This species feeds on insects and small reptiles, and
has the typical habits of the family, living in forests in small
parties. Davison found it breeding near Bankasun in March ; the

COETDON. 5

■uest was a massive structure composed of moss, fibres, roots, dry
leaves, bits of wood, and small twigs, suspended to the -extreme tip
of a very tall bamboo overbanging a stream. Two fresh eggs were
in the nest, dull white, thickly speckled with minute spots of dusky
brown, more thickly to\^ ards the large end : size 1*09 by '76.

938. Eurylaemus ochromelas. The Black-and-ijelloiu BroadUll.

Eurvlaimus ochromalus, Raffles, Trans. Linn. Soc. xiii, p. 297 (1822) ;

Blyth, Cat. p. 195 ; Horsf. i^- M. Cat. p. 116.
Eurylfenuis ochromelas, Blyth, Birds Bitrm. p. 125 ; Hume, 8.F. ii,

p. 470; id. Cat. no. 139 terA; Hume i^- Dav. S. F. vi, p. 91;

Oates, B.B. i, p. 426 ; Sclater, Cat. B. M. xiv, p. 465 ; Hartert,

J.f. Orn. 1889, pp. 358, 391.

Coloration. Male. Whole head black, except a few white fea-
thers below each eye ; a white collar round the neck, narrow
behind; upper parts from neck black, with a bright yellow stripe
down the middle of the back, rump, and upper tail-coverts, and a
shorter stripe on each side on the outer scapulars ; basal portion
of interscapulary feathers wliite ; middle of outer webs of secondary
quills yellow ; near the base almost all wing-feathers have a
whitish inner border; a small yellowish spot on each primary
near the base ; tail-feathers with a subterminal yellowish-white
spot on inner web, becoming a band on the outer feathers ; a
broad black gorget below the white collar, lower breast and abdo-
men pale vinous purple ; under wing- and tail-coverts, vent, flanks,
and edge of wing yellow ; thigh-coverts black.

Female. Similar, but the black gorget is interrupted in the
middle.

The young have the forehead and supercilia yellowish white ;
the throat whitish, breast and abdomen yellowish grey.

Lower mandible and base of upper bright smalt-blue, rest of
upper mandible bright green ; edges of both mandibles black ;
irides bright yellow ; legs and feet dark but fleshy-pink ; claws
brown {Davison).

Length 6-5 ; tail 2-2 ; wing 3-3 ; tarsus '8 ; bill from gape I'l.

Distribution. South Tenasserim as far north as Tay, Malay
Peninsula, Sumatra and Borneo.

Genus CORYDON, Lesson, 1828.

Bill very large, much deeper, broader at the base and more
hooked than that of Eanjla;mus, the upper mandible more over-
hanging, and with the edge more convex near the gape ; but the
culmen is comparatively much shorter and more prominent. Eictal
bristles replaced by plumules, which are situated in a nude area
between the eye and bill. Wings and tail rounded ; wing
longer than tail. Tarsus distinctly scutellated in front. Sexes
alike.

The plumage is mostly black. Only a single species is known.

ETTETL^MIDiE.

939. Corydon sumatranus. The Dusky Broadhill.

Coracias sumatranus, Raffles, Trans. Linn. Soc. xiii, p. 303 (1822).

Corydon sumatranus, Strickl. A. M. N. H. vi, p. 417 (1841) ; Blijih^
Cat. p. 195; id. Birds Burma, p. 125; Horsf. ^ M. Cat. p. 117f
Hume (^ Bav. S. F. vi, p. 97 ; Hmne, Cat. no. 139 sex ; Binyham,
S. F. ix, p. 157 ; Oates, B. B. i, p. 430 ; Sclater, Cat. B. M. xiv^
p. 466.

Fig, 4. — Head of C. ^umafmnm-.

Coloration. Black throughout with the following exceptions : — a
concealed interscapulary patch crimson (or occasionally yellow)
and white, consisting of the basal parts only of the feathers, the
tips being black ; a broad white band across the primaries close to
the coverts ; a subterminal white spot or band on all tail-feathers
except the middle pair ; the throat and upper breast, which are
dirty brownish white, the edges of the feathers in places darker.
Female the same.

Young didler black, without an interscapulary patch, and wiih
the white of the throat ill-defined.

Upper mandible varying from dark reddish brown to pale horuy
brown, lower mandible pale fleshy-pink with a dark median streak,
tips of both whitish ; orbital skin and gape dark fleshy-pink ; legs,
feet, and claws black ; irides deep brown.

Length 10-5 ; tail 4*2 ; wing 5*4 ; tarsus 1-1 ; bill from gape 1-6.

Distribution. Apparently throughout Tenasserim, except in the
deciduous forests, as far north as Karennee ; also the Malay Penin-
sula, Sumatra and Borneo.

Habits, 4'c. This bird is found in pairs or small parties in forests.
It is somewhat crepuscular according to Tickell, and during the
day very sluggish. Jt has an oft-repeated mellow, rather musical
note ; also a clear whistle, which it utters W'hen flying from tree
to tree. The nest and eggs do not appear to have been recorded.

CyMBORHYNCHTJS. 7

Genus CYMBORHYNCHUS, Vigors, 1830.

Bill not differing much in form from that of Eurylcemus, but
narrower, with a somewhat higher culmen, and with the upper
mandible straight-edged, not overhanging. The nostrils are
elongate, and open in a longitudinal depression a considerable
distance from the frontal feathers, about 5 to 5 the length of the
bill from the base. Rictal bristles long. Tarsi indistinctly scu-
tellated in front. Coloration above mostly black, below deep
crimson.

Two species are known, ranging from Arrakan to Borneo.

Key to the Sjpecies.

Wing about 4 ; no red spots on tertiaries . . C. macrorhynchus, p. 7,
Wing about 3'6 ; red terminal spots on ter-
tiaries C. affinis, p. 8.

940. Cymborhynchus macrorhynclius. The Black-and-red
Broadbill.

Todus macrorhynchus, Gm. Syst. Nat. i, p. 446 (1788).

Todus nasutus, Lath. hid. Orn. \, p. 268 (1790).

Cymborhynchus macrorhynchus, Gray, Gen. B. i, p. 66 ; Horsf,
8f M. Cat. p. 119; Bhjth, Birds Burma, p. 126; Stoliczka, J. A.
S. B. xxxix, pt. 2, p. 28o ; Davison, S. F. v, p. 457 ; Hume Sf
Dav. S. F. vi, p. 92 ; Hume, Cat. no. 139 quint. ; Sharpe, Ibis,
1876, p. 48 ; 1877, p. 22 ; 1879, p. 264 ; Bingham, S. F. ix, p. 157 ;
Oates, B. B. i; p. 428 ; Sdater, Cat. B. M. xiv, p. 468 ; Hartert,
J.f. Orn. 1889, pp. 358, 393 ; Oates in Hume's N. ^- K 2nd ed. ii.
p. 294.

Cymbirhyuchus nasutus, Vii/ors, Mem. Raffies, p. 654 (1830) :
Blyth, J. A. S. B. xv, p. 311 ; id. Cat. p. 195.

Cymijorhynchus malaccensis, Saluad. Atti R. Ac. Sc. Tor. ix, p. 425
(1874) ; Oates, S. F. iii, p. 336.

Coloration. Upper parts except the scapulars, rump, and upper
tail-coverts black ; chin, upper throat, and a broad pectoral band
also black ; a white longitudinal band on each side of the back,
formed by the outer half of the scapulars ; rump and upper
tail-coverts, ear-coverts and the throat between them, lower breast,
abdomen, flanks, and lower tail-coverts deep crimson, sometimes
mixed with orange on the belly ; wings black, the edge orange-
yellow, under wing-coverts in part, and basal portion of inner
web of most wing-feathers white, axillaries yellowish white ; tail
black, a variable number of the outer feathers with a white sub-
terminal spot on the inner web.

Young dusky instead of black, white spots on tips of wing-
coverts, rump mixed red and black ; lower plumage dark brown
with traces of transverse bars.

Upper mandible and a bordering along the edge of the
lower mandible brilliant blue, remainder of the latter yellowish.

■g EDBTLiEMID^.

edges of both transparent white ; irides emerald-greeu, shot with
gold; legs "and feet ultramarine-blue; claws horny {Bingham).
Inside of mouth bright blue {Davison).

Length 9-5 ; tail 3-5 ; wing 4 ; tarsus "95 ; bill from gape 1'25.
Females rather smaller.

Distribution. Prom Tenasserim through Siam, Cambodia, and
the Malay Peninsula to Sumatra and Borneo. This Broadbill
was obtained as far north as the Dawna range near Kokarit, east
of Moulmein, by Bingham.

Habits, c^'c. Similar to those of Eurylcemus, except that this
species, according to Davison, is found in gardens and near villages.
It lives entirely on insects. It breeds in Tenasserim from April
to June, making the usual large globular Broadbill's nest of grass,
roots, &c., suspended to the end of a bough, and containing 3 or
4 eggs varying from white to salmon-buff in colour, and densely
spotted or speckled, especially about the larger end, with black or
brownish red. The eggs measure about 1-0(5 by "75.

941. Cymborhynchus affinis. The A7-rakan Bladc-and-red
Broadbill.

Cymborhynchus affinis, Blyth, J. A. S. B. xv, p. 312 (1846) ; id.
Cat. p. 195 ; id. Birds Burma, p. 126 ; Gates, S. F. iii, p. 336 ; x,
p. 188; id. B. B. i, p. 429; Hume, Cat. no. 139 quat. ; Sclater,
Cat. B. M. xiv, p. 470.

Coloration. Similar to the last except that the red of the rump is
mixed with black ; there are always white subterminal spots on all
tail-feathers except the middle pair, and these spots become bars
on the three outer rectrices on each side ; the white at the base of
the primaries appears from beneath the outer wing-coverts, and
each tertiary has a long red spot at the end.

Length 8-2 ; tail 3 ; wing 3*6 ; tarsus -86 ; bill from gape 1.

Distribution. Arrakan from about lat. 19° southward to Cape
Negrais, also the Irrawaddy delta as far east as Eangoon. Nothing
is known of the habits.

G-enus SERILOPHUS, Swainson, 1837.

Bill very much smaller than in Eurylcemus, sides of upper
mandible straight, not overhanging. Tail much rounded. Second-
aries and inner primaries truncated, and emarginate at the ends
of the shafts. Eictal bristles present. Nostrils and tarsi as in
Eurylcpmus.

Plumage soft, greyish or brownish above, ashy below ; a white
gorget in females only. Two species, ranging from the Himalayas
to Tenasserim.

Key to the Species.

Head above pale greyish brown S. Imtatus, p. 9.

Head above dark ashy grey S. rubripygius, p. 9.

SERILOPHUS. »

942. SerilopllUS hinatus. Gould's Broadbill.

Eurylaimus lunatus, Gould, P. Z. S. 1833, p. 133. j « p

Serilophus luuatus, Swainson, Class. B. ii, p. 202 ; Blyth, J. A. S.B.
XV, p. 311 ; id. Cat. p. 196; id. Birds Burm. p. 125; Horsf. ^M.
Cat. p. 118; Ilame, S. F. ii, p. 470 ; iii, p. 53; id. Cat. no. 139
bis ; Wardl. Ramsay, Ibis, 1875, p. 352 ; Davison, S. F. v, p. 455 ;
Hume Sf Dav. >S. F. vi, pp. 89, 499 ; Oates, S. F. viii, p. 164 ; x,
p. 188 ; id. B. B. i,p. 424 ; Biwjham, S. F. ix, p. 157 : Salvadon,
Ann. Mus. Civ. Gen. (2) v, p. 574 ; Sclafer, Cat. B. M. xiv, p. 460 ;
Oates in Hume's N. ^- E. 2nd ed. ii, p. 291.

Primary quills, especially 3rd and 4th, sharply pointed, the
worn inner web of the two feathers named having the edge
concave near the tip.

Coloration. Male. Forehead pale ashy, crown and nape pale
greyish brown, back darker, passing into chestnut on the rump
and upper tail-coverts ; a broad black supercilium extending back
to the nape ; lores pale rufous with black hairs intermixed, ear-
coverts greyish rufescent ; wings black, basal portion of outer
webs of almost all quills greyish blue, a large white spot on the
inner web of each, 3rd and 4th primaries with broad white tips,
tertiaries and tips of inner webs of all quills except the first five
pale chestnut, tips of the outer webs of the same feathers and of
the fifth primary white ; tail-feathers black, the outer 3 pairs with
broad white tips ; lower parts ashy grey, whitish on the throat
and abdomen ; lower wing-coverts and thighs black, edge of wing
white.

Female similar, but with a glistening silvery white gorget.

Bill light blue, paler on the culmen ; gape and base of both
mandibles orange ; mouth orange ; eyelids greenish vellow ; iris
dark brown ; legs greenish orange ; claws light blue (Oates).

Length 7 ; tail 2*8 ; wing 3-4 ; tarsus '8 ; bill from gape -92.

Distributioyi. Evergreen forests of Pegu hills, also Karennee
and throughout Tenasserim. Not at present recorded outside
British territory.

Habits, cfc. This Broadbill occurs in small flocks in forests, and
is apparently strictly arboreal. It feeds chiefly on insects. It is
described as very stupid and not easily alarmed. It breeds from
April to July inclusive, making a globular nest, about six inches
in diameter, of coarse grass, vegetable fibres, twigs, moss, rootlets,
cocoons, and similar materials. The nest is lined with broad
leaves, some of them occasionally green ; it has a side entrance
protected by a rude porch, and hangs from the end of a small
branch. The eggs, generally four in number, are thin and
delicate, pure white with a slight gloss, marked with purplish-
black specks and minute spots tow^ards the larger end, and measure
•95 by -67.

943. Serilophus ruhripygius. Hodgson's Broadbill.

Kaya rubropygia, Hodffs. J. A. S. B. viii, p. 36 (1839^.

Serilophus rubropygius, Bp. Consp. i, p. 169; Blyth, J. A. S. B. xv,

10 BURTL^MID^.

p.' 311; id. Cat. p. 19G; id. Birds Burvi.^. 125; Horsf. &• M.
Cat. I, p. 119 ; Jerd. B. I. i, p. 238 ; Godiv.-Aust. J. A. S. B. xxxix,
pt. 2, p. 95 ; xlv, pt. 2, p. 69; Hume, Cat. no. 139; id. S. F. ix,
p. 247 ; xi, p. 49 ; Oates, B. B. i, p. 425 ; Sclater, Cat.lB. M. xiv,
p. 461 ; Hartert, J. f. Orn. 1889, p. ^395 ; Oatcs \in\\mime's
N. 8i- E. 2nd ed. ii, p. 293.

The Red-backed Broadbill, Jerdon ; Ra-i-suga, Nepal ; Rab-kyid,
Lepcha.

I

I I 11/ 'I III
I pull

Fig. 5. — Head of S. rubr'qyygmft, J .

Tips of outer primaries rounded.

Coloration. Male. Head above, nape, and upper back dark
ashy grey ; a long black supercilium to the nape ; back browner,
passing into the ferruginous-red tertiaries, rump, and upper tail-
coverts. Wings black, outer webs of almost all feathers dull blue
near the base, corresponding to a white spot on the inner web ;
extreme tips of first 5 primaries white, of the remaining primaries
chestnut, bordered inside with bluish grey ; most of the wing-
feathers except the first five with a small white spot on the outer
web near the tip. Tail black, the three outer pairs of feathers
with broad white tips. Lower parts ashy grey, under wing-coverts
and thighs black ; edge of wing whitish.

Female with pure white tips to some of the neck-feathers,
forming a narrow collar at each side but interrupted in the
middle.

Bill blue, paler towards the tip, a green spot, in the male only,
in the middle of the lower mandible ; iris greyish brown, naked
skin round the eye dark yellow, narrow ring of the eyelid green ;
feet yellowish green, whitish-blue spots on the toes, nails whitish
blue (Hartert) ; iris brown speckled with gold {Hume).

Length 7'25 ; tail 2-8 ; wing 3-3 ; tarsus -85 ; bill from gape -9.

Distribution. Eastern Himalayas, below about 5000 feet, as far
west as Nepal ; Assam and the hills to the southward as far as
Arrakan and Manipur.

Habits, 6fG. Very similar to those of S. lunatus, but this bird is
less tame. It feeds on insects, and Hume shot one in Manipur
that had eaten small laud mollusca. The nest and eggs, which

PSARISOMUS. 11

resemble those of the last species, have been described by Mr.
Grammie in Sikkim, and by Mr. Baker in Cachar. The eggs
measure about -95 by '66.

Genus PSARISOMUS, Swainson, 1837.

Bill similar to that of Eurylcemus, but smaller, edge of upper
mandible straight, not overhanging ; no rictal bristles ; loreal
feathers directed forward. Tarsi indistinctly scutellated in front
outside, the scutellation becoming obsolete inside. Tail greatly
graduated, longer than the wing. General colour bright green.
Sexes alike.

A single species.

944. Psarisomus dalhousiae. The Long-tailed Broadhill.

Eurylaimus dalhousife, Jameson, Edinh. N. Ph. J. xviii, p. 389
(1835) ; Royle, III. Bot. Him. i, p. Ixxvii, pi. vii, fig. 2.

Psarisomus dalhousiae, Blyth, Cat. p. 195 ; id. Bii-ds Burma, p. 126
Horsf. Sf M. Cat. p. 117 ; Jerdon, B. I. i, p. 236 ; Godwin-Austen.
J. A. S. B. xxxix, pt. 2, p. 95 ; xlv, pt. 2, p. 69 ; Walden, Ibis
1875, p. 460; Hume, S. F. iii, p. 52 ; v, p. 19 ; xi, p. 48; id. Cat
no. 138 ; Hicine 8f Dav. S. F. vi, pp. 88, 499 ; Bingham, S. F. viii
p. 193 ; ix, p. 156 ; Oates, S. F. x, p. 188 ; id. B. B. i, p. 42.3;
Salvadori, Ann. Mus. Civ. Gen. (2) v, p. 574 ; Sclater, Cat. B. M.
xiv, p. 458; Oates in Hume's N. Sr F. 2nd ed. ii, p. 289.

Raya sericeogula, Hodgson, J. A . S. B. viii, \>. 36 (1839).

Psarisomus assimilis, Hume, S. F. iii, p. 53.

The Yellow-throated Broadbill, Jerdon ; Rai-i, Nepalese ; Dawj-mo-
mith, Lepcha.

Fig. T). — Head of P dalhuUbioi.

Coloration. Crown and nape with the sides of the head behind
the eyes black ; a large bright blue patch on the crown ; a narrow
frontal line, an elongate spot behind the eye, lores and chin bright
yellow, passing into orange-yellow on the throat ; this colour is
continued behind the black cap as a collar, the nuchal portion of
which, sometimes difficult of detection in skins, is bright blue.
Upper plumage from neck to tail-coverts inclusive bright grass-
green ; tertiaries and outer webs of secondaries the same ; inner
webs of wing-feathers black, outer webs of primaries bright blue
near the base, dark bluish green towards the tip, a large white spot

12 EURYL^MID.E.

on inner web of each primary near the base ; tail blue above, black
below ; lower plumage from breast bright bluish green. Female
the same. In some skins the spot behind the eye is greenish
yellow or white ; the collar, too, has in many birds a satin-white
hinder border.

Bill green in general, but sometimes brownish yellow, gape and
tip bluish or whitish ; iris brown ; orbits yellow or greenish ; legs
and feet dull light green ; claws horny.

Toung birds have the whole head green or greenish.

Length 10-5 ; tail 5 ; wing 4-1 ; tarsus 1-1 ; bill from gape 1'3.

DistrVmtion. Throughout the Himalayas as far west as Dehra
Dun and Mussooree, from a low level to about 6000 feet elevation ;
also Assam, Manipur, Cachar, and Burma generally, in hilly parts
of the country, and through the Malay Peninsula to Sumatra and
Borneo.

Habits, SfC. This beautiful Broadbill is found usually solitary or
in pairs, but sometimes in small flocks, and is restricted to thick
forest. It feeds entirely on insects, which it sometimes captures
on the M'iug, The nests (fig. 1) are like those of other Broadbills,
large globular structures of grass, roots, fibres, &c., with a lateral
entrance, which is sometimes protected by an overhanging portico.
This nest is suspended from a fine twig ; the egg-cavity is lined
with green leaves ; the eggs, 3 to 5 in number, are laid in April
or May, and are of two types — the one pure white and glossy, the
other white or pinkish, blotched, chiefly about the large end, with
red and pale reddish purple, and almost without gloss. Average
size 1 by "7.

Genus CALYPTOMENA, Eafiles, 1822.

Bill smaller than in other Eurylcemidce, and the culmen higher.
Nostrils at tlie base of the beak, and concealed, as is the greater
part of the upper mandible, by the feathers of the lores, which are
large and directed forward. JVo rictal bristles. Tail short and
nearly square. Tarsi distinctly scutellated in front. Plumage
harsh, bright green nearly throughout.

This is the most aberrant member of the group, and has been
by many writers placed in a different family or subfamily. Three
species are now known, two of which are peculiar to Borneo.

945. Calyptomena viridis. The Green Broadbill.

Calyptomena viridis, Itaffles, Trans. Linn. Soc. xiii, p. 295 (1822) ;
Blyth, Cat. p. 196 ; id. Birds Burm. p. 124 ; Horsf. ^- M. Cat. p. 120 ;
Stoliczka, J. A. >S. B. xxxix, pt. 2, p. 284 ; Jlutue i^- Bav. S. F. vi,
pp. 86, 499; Hutne, Cat. no. 137 bis ; Oates, B. B. i, p. 422 ; Sclater,
Cat. B. M. xiv, p. 456 ; Oates in Hiwies N. 8s E. 2nd ed. ii, p. 288.

Coloration. Male. Bright green throughout, slightly paler on
the abdomen ; a minute yellow spot in front of the eye ; sides of
forehead (greatly concealed by loral feathers), a large spot behind

CALTPTOMENA. 13

the ear-coverts, three bands across the wiug-coverts, and the wing-
feathers (except the outer webs of the secondaries and the basal
portion of the outer webs in the primaries) black.

Female duller and paler green throughout, especially below ;
no black marks ; wing-feathers brown. Young birds are like the
females, but duller in colour.

P^ig. 7. — Head of C. viridis.

Upper mandible pale horny to brown or even black, the tip and
the lower mandible light reddish horny or brownish orange ; gape
orange ; iris dark brown ; legs pale dirty or horny green, sometimes
tinged with bluish, sometimes with purplish grey.

Males, length about 7"5 ; tail 2 ; wing 4*2 ; tarsus "8 ; bill
from gape 1"1. Females are rather larger, wing about 4*4.

Distribution. Tenasserim from Amherst southward, also the
Malay Peninsula, Sumatra and Borneo.

Habits, Sfc. According to Davison this beautiful Broadbill lives
entirely on fruit. It keeps to the forests and frequents the tops
of the trees singly, in pairs, or in small parties. It is only active
in the mornings and evenings. The note is a soft whistle.
Several nests have been taken in Tenasserim by Mr. J. Darling,
and are egg-shaped, measuring about 9 inches by 4, pinched flat
at the top, along the twig from which each is suspended, and
ending in a tail, sometimes 3 feet long. The nest is large, com-
posed chiefly of fine grass, sometimes mixed with roots &c., and
contains about 3 very pale yellow or creamy eggs, unspotted, with
little or no gloss, and measuring about 1*15 by "8.

Fig. 8. — Brachypternus auranfins and nest-bole.

Order III. PICI.

With the Woodpeckers we commence a series of bird-families
sometimes combined under the general name of Picaricp., but
exhibiting such com plicated relations with each other and with
other groups of birds that their classification is by no means finally
settled. In the present work it appears best to leave them in a
number of small orders, each frequently consisting, as in the
present instance, of a single family.

The Woodpeckers were formerly associated under the name
Scansores with Barbets, Cuckoos, Parrots, and other birds having
two hind and two fore toes, the fourth digit being directed back-
wards as well as the first or hallux. But the Parrots have long been
known to differ from the others widely in structure, and were classed
apart by Blyth in his Catalogue in 1849. Huxley, in his important
paper '"On the Classification of Birds' (P.Z.S. 1867, pp. 448,
467), distinguished the Woodpeckers as a group called Celeo-
morplice, equal in rank to the Accipitrine birds or the Parrots, and

PICI.

15

the distinction was emphasized by Kitchen Parkei*, who separated
Woodpeckers and Wrynecks as Saurognathce, on account of what
he regarded as the reptilian characters presented by the bones of
the palate. The view that Woodpeckers and Wrynecks form a
separate group has been accepted by many recent writers, notably
by Sundevall *, Sclater t, Newton +, Sharpe §, and Gadow ||, though
not by Garrodll, by PiirbriDger **, nor by Seebobm ft- The
following are the principal characters : —

Vomer represented by several distinct paired lateral rods ;
maxillo-palatines small, widely distant from each other (fig. 9).

Fig. 9.— Palate of Gecinus viridis (Huxley, P.Z. S. 1867, p. 448). Pnvc,
premasillse ; Mxp, maxillo-palatine ; PI, palatine ; Vo, the osBieles which
appear to represent the vomer.

The flexor longus liallucis, after sending off a vinculum to
the flexor |9er/oraj?s difjitorum, is divided, one branch going to
the fourth toe, the other being again divided to supply the first
and second, whilst the flexor perforcuis digitornm runs to the third
alone (see fig. 22, p. 80). The same arrangement is found in
the Barbets, Indicators, Toucans, and some other families.

Sternum with two notches behind on each side of the keel ;
the mauubrial process bifurcate as in the Passeres. The femoro-
caudal and semitendinosus muscles present ; ambiens and accessory
femoro-caudal absent. Caeca wanting or quite rudimentary. In
pterylosis, the spinal feather-tract is well defined on the back and
forked on the lower, not on the upper back. Oil-gland tufted, not
nude as in Passeres.

* 'Tentamen,' p. 72. + 'Ibis,' 1880, pp. 350, 402.

I Article " Ornithology," Encyclopiedia Brit. p. 47.

§ ' Eeview of Eecent Attempts to Classify Birds,' p. 84. (The Neotropical
Buccones and Galbulte are here associated.)

II Bronn, Klassen u. Ordn. des Thier-Reichs, vi, 4, p. 301.

^ P. Z. S. 1878, p. 935. *» ' Untersuchungen,' ii, p. 1392.

■ft ' Classification of Bii'ds,' p. G ; Supplement, p. 23.

16 PICID.B.

Family PICID^.

Tail-feathers always 12, the outermost pair in the majority of
the genera short and often completely concealed by the coverts, so
that these two feathers are difficult to find. Bill generally strong
and in many forms modified into a cutting weapon, the end of
the upper mandible being vertical and chisel-shaped. With this
weapon AYoodpeckers cut away the bark of trees to look for
insects, and make holes in the trunks or branches for nests.
Many species by tapping on trees make a noise that may be heard
a considerable distance. The nostrils are basal; above them, in
several genera, a ridge known as the nasal ridge commences, and
runs, parallel to the culmen, to join or nearly to join the com-
missure. The tongue is excessively long, worm-like, and capable
of great protrusion ; it is supplied with viscid mucus from the large
salivary glands, so that insects, their larvae and eggs adhere to it.
The point of the tongue is horny and barbed. The hyoid cornua,
which are of enormous length, slide round the skull, passing in a
sheath from the side of the gullet round the occiput to the base of
the upper mandible.

All Indian Picidce are insectivorous, a large proportion of them
feeding mainly and some entirely on ants. All lay glossy white
eggs, and all, with the exception of one genus, make holes in trees
and lay their eggs in them, the eggs resting on the chips without
any other lining to the hole. The exception is the genus Micro-
jpternus, which lays its eggs in ants' nests.

The Picidce are not found in Madagascar, Australia, or Poly-
nesia, but range through all other temperate and tropical regions.
They are divided into three subfamilies, thus distinguished: —

Shafts of tail-feathers stout and rigid Picince, p. 17.

Shafts of tail-feathers flexible. Tail (in Indian

forms) less than f length of wing ;

nostrils concealed by plumes Picumnino', p. 75.

Shafts of tail-feathers flexible. Tail | wing or

more ; nostrils not concealed by plumes,

but partly covered by 'a membrane .... lyngince, p. 78.

"Woodpeckers are known as Kat-toTcra, H., in Northern India,
Lalchor-pJior in the 8outh ; Kat-harya at Mussooree ; Katparwa
in Oude ; Lohcir, Marathi ; Manu-tolachi, Telugu ; Marram-tolashiy

Tamul ; TatcJian-Jcuruvi, Tarn, in Cej'lou ; KcereUa, Cingalese;
Thit-toxh, Biu'mese ; these names being applied to all kinds. The
Lepchas ot Sikhim, as Jerdon observes, alone appear to have
names for different species.

Subfamily PICIN^.

This contains the true Woodpeckers, with very stout shafts to
the tail-feathers, the points of which are pressed against the bark
of trees when the birds are climbing or tapping to get at
insects. The tail is frequently much worn, and hence varies
considerably in length. Woodpeckers seldom perch, they cling-
to the stems and branches of trees with the tail always downward,
and they usually ascend and descend diagonally. They have a
pecuhar undulating flight easily recognized. The Indian genera
are numerous.

Ke)j to the Genera.

a. Primaries spotted or banded.
«'. Nostrils concealed by plumes.
a". Toes 4.

a^. Mantle wholly or partly gTeen.
back not barred.
aK Culmen nearly straight, a dis-
tinct nasal ridge Gecixus, p. 18.

i4. Culmen curved, nasal ridge ob-
solete C'hrysophlegma, p. 27.

b^. Mantle chiefly crimson, back

barred across Callolophus, p. '29.

c^. Mantle black and white.

c*. Nasal ridge less than half
length of bill, and at base
nearer commissure than cul-
men Ilypopicus, p. 32.

#. Nasal ridge half length of bill
or more, and at base not nearer
commissure than culmen.
«^. Second primary shorter than
sixth,
a". Primaries exceed second-
aries by length of culmen

or more Dendrocopus, p. 33.

b*^. Primaries exceed second-
aries by less than length

of culmen Liopicus, p. 43.

b^. Second primary longer than

sixth Iyngipicus, p. 44.

6". Toes 3.

d\ Mantle green or red Gecinulxis, p. 30.

(^. Mantle golden olive Gaueopicoides, p. 63,

VOL. in.

18 PICID^.

b'. Nostrils exposed.

c". Mantle rufous or crimson, more or
less banded.
f^. Culmen nearly straight, tip trun-
cated Pyrrhopicus, p. 49.

</^ Culmen curved, tip pointed Microptebnus, p. 54.

d". Mantle ■wholly or partly golden
olive or crimson, not banded.
7*3. Toes 4.

e*. Hallux well developed, half

length of second digit Chrysocolaptes, p. 64.

/■*. Hallux small, about \ second

digit Bbachypternus, p. 58.

i\ Toes 3 TiGA, p. 61.

e". Mantle black or brovrn and buff. . . . Migeyptes, p. 52.
b. Primaries ■without spots or bands.

c'. Tertiaries ■with large spots ; size small. Hemicercus, p. 68.
d' . All quills unspotted ; size large.

'". Plumage mostly ashy grey Hemilophus, p. 70.

". Plumage mostly black Thriponax, p. 72.

Genus GECINUS, Boie, 1831.

Nostrils concealed by harsh plumes ; culmen slightly curved,
a distinct nasal ridge, nearer to the culmen than to the commissure
at the base of the bill. Four toes to each foot, the 3rd (outer
anterior) toe longer than the 4th (outer posterior) ; tail less than
two-thirds the ■wing in length ; outermost tail-feather on each side
very short, not nearly so long as the upper tail-coverts. Upper
plumage green wholly or in part : sexes distinguished by portions
of the head, generally of the cro^wn, beijig red in males and not in
females.

This genus, of ■which the type is the common European O. viri-
dis, ranges almost throughout the Palaearctic aud Oriental regions,
and is represented by nine species ■within our area. Members of
this genus obtain their insect-food more frequently on fallen trunks
of trees and on. the ground than Woodpeckers in general are wont
to do.

Key to the Species.

a. Rump green or yellow.

a'. Lower parts with longitudinal markings ;
male with crimson, female with black
cap.
a". Tail barred throughout.

a^. Dark bars on middle tail-feathers

broader than white bars G. squamatus, p. 19.

6^. Dark bars narrower than white .... G. yorii, p. 20.
b". Tail not barred throughout.

c^ White predominating on lower parts. G. sfn'olatus,'^. 20.
d^. Dark predominating on lower parts. G. viridanus, p. 22.
V . Lower parts almost uniformly coloured ;
crown crimson and occiput black in male,
both black in female G. occipitalis, p. 22.

OECINUS.

19

c'. Lower parts with transverse bars or spots ;
a yellow nnclial crest,
c". Outer surfece of wing- green, tinged
with red.

e^. Whole occiput never crimson ; wing
about 5-4.
rt*. Forehead, each edge of crown and

of occiput and malar stripe crimson. G. cJtlorolophus S , V- -•^•
^.1. Sides of occiput only crimson . . G. chlorolojjhus $ ,p. 2.3.
/3. Whole occiput crimson; wing about
4-6.
(■'. Crown and malar stripe crimson. G. chhrogaster S , P- -'_^-

fP. Only occiput crimson G. chloroc/aster § , p. 2o.

d". Outer su'rface of wing red G. pimiceus, p. 26.

h. Paimp bright red <?• mrjrigenis, p. ib.

94(). Gecinus squamatus. The Wes^t-Hlmalayan ,Scah/-bellied
Green ^Vood21eel•er.
Picas squamatus, Vn/ors, P. Z. S. 1830, p. 8 ; BIyth,J. A. S. B. xii,

p 998
Gecinus'squamatus, Blyth, Cat. p. 57 ; Horsf. &■ M. Caf._p.6r,9;
Jerdon, B. I. i, p. 286 ; id. Ibis, 1872, p. 9 ; Tiitler, Ibis, 1868,
p. 202; Stolirzka, J. A. S. B. xxxvii, pt. 2, p. 20; Beavan, Ibis,
1869 p 414; Cock ^- Harsh. S. F. i, p. 350 ; Hume. Cat. no 170 ;
Biddidph, Ibis, 1881, p. 49 ; Scidh/, Ibis, 1881, p. 430; Hargitt,
Ibis, 1888, p. 153; id Cat. B. M. xviii, p. 43; Oates in Humes
N. ^- E. 2nd ed. ii, p. 297 ; Sharpe, Yarkand Miss., Aves, p. 108.
The Scaly-bellied Green Woodpecker, Jerdon ; Tuktola, Ohamba.
Coloration. Male. Crown and occipital crest crimson ; mantle,
including sides of neck, back, scapulars, and secondary ^ying-coverts,
green, rump and upper tail-coverts strongly tinged with yellow; a
broad yellowish-white supercilium extending to the nape with
a black line above continued across the forehead, and another
black line below from the eye to the nostril : a black spot behind
the eye ; another broad yellowish-white streak from the base of the
bill below the eye, below this streak the malar region is black
mixed with greenish white ; ear-coverts greenish grey ; wing-
feathers brownish black, inner webs of all with imperfect white
bands, in the primaries towards the base only; outer webs of
primaries with equidistant yellowish-white spots ; outer webs of
secondaries and tertiaries greenish dusky barred with whitish ;
primary-coverts dusky, with white spots ; tail-feathers above
brownish black with white bars rather narrower than the inter-
spaces ; below, the dark bars are pale and the whole feathers
tino-ed with yellow ; throat and breast pale greyish green, some-
times varying to pale ashy ; abdomen and flanks with lower wing-
and tail-coverts greenish white, each feather with a black intra-
marginal band producing a scale-like marking, and with sometimes
a black shaft-stripe.

Female. Crown and occiput black instead of crimson, the bases
of the feathers leaden grey, and the sides of the frontal and coronal
feathers greenish grey.

c 2

20 piciMi:.

In young birds the upper plumage is dusky, the feathers being"
edged \Aith green, and the breast-feathers bear scale-like mark&
like those of the abdomen.

Iris a circle of darkish pinkish red surrounded by a second ring
of light pink ; upper mandible horn-coloured at the base, the tip
and the whole lower mandible brightish yellow (Beavan) • legs
gi'eenish plumbeous {Jerdon).

Length 14 ; tail 5"3 ; wing 6'5 ; tarsus 1-1 ; bill from gape 1'9,

Distribution. The Himalayas from Grilgit and Kashmir to
Kumaun and probably Western Nepal, at elevations from about
oOOO to 9000 feet. A skin was obtained in Afghanislan bv
Griffith.

Habits, ^"c. This Woodpecker is often seen feeding on the ground.
It lays generally five, sometimes six eggs in a hole excavated in the
stem of a tree, in March, April, or May. The eggs are white and
\ery glossy, and measure on an average 1*28 by '93. The nest-
hole is generally placed at a considerable height from the ground,
as a rule more than 20 feet.

947. Gecinus gorii. Hargitt's iScah/-beUied Green Woodpecker.

Gecinus gorii, Haryitt, Ibis, 1887, p. 75, 1888, p. 159 ; id. Cat. B.
M. xviii, p. 45 ; St. John, Ihis, 1889, p. 158 ; Aitchison, Trans.
Linn. Soc. (2) Zool. v, p. 8-3, pi. vi, fig. 1 .

This is paler throughout than G. squamatus, but otherwise very
similar. The pale spots and bars on the wing- and tail-feathers
are larger, the pale bars on the tail-feathers and the white spots on
the outer webs of the primaries being broader than the dark
interspaces ; the scale-like markings on the abdomen are narrower
and fainter. Dimensions the same.

Distribution. South Afghanistan. Only known from two speci-
mens, one from Quetta, the other from the Helmand River. Sir
O. B. St. John saw G. gorii on the Kwaja Amran hills, and
probably in the juniper forests of Ziarat.

I suspect that this is merely a pale variety of G. squamatus.

948. Gecinus striolatus. Tlie Little Scaly -bellied Green
Woodpeclcer.

Pious striolatus, Blijth, J. A. S. B. xii, p. 1000 (1843) ; Jerdrm, Mad.
Jour. L. S. xiii, pt. 2, p. 138.

Gecinus striolatus, BlytJt, Cat. p. 57 ; Horsf. 8) M. Cat. ii, p. 6G(J ;
Jerdon, B. I. i, p. 287 ; Stoliczha, J. A. >S. B. xxxvii, pt. 2, p. 21 :
Blanf. Ibis, 1870, p. 404 ; Jerdon, Ibis, 1872, p. 9 ; Lpr/ge, >S. F. i,
p. 488; id. Birds Ceyl. p. 194 ; Ball, S. F. ii, p. 391 ; v, p. 413 ; vii,
p. 206; Bhjth ^- Wald. Birds Burm. ]). 76 ; Hume ^- Gates, S. F.
iii, p. 68 ; Butler, *S'. F. iii, p. 458 ; Godw.-Aust. J. A . S. B. xlv,
pt. 2, p. 70 ; xlvii, pt. 2, p. 14 ; Inglis, S. F. \, p. 26 ; Fairbank,
iS. F. V, p. 396 ; Anderson, Yunnan Exjoed., Aves, p. 585 ; Cripps,
S. F. vii, p. 262 ; Hu7ne, Cat. no. 171 ; Sculli/, S. F. viii, p. 247 ;

GECINUS.

21

B

Midler, S. F. ix, p. 386 ; Gates, S. F. x, p. 191 ; id. B. B. ii,
^ . 49; Davison, S. F. x, p. 3o5 ; 2'erry, ib. p. 471 ; Barnes, Birds
Bom. p. 116; Hnme, S. F. xi, p. G'l ; Harcjitt, Ibis, 1888, p. 171 ;
id. Cat. B. M. xviii, p. 50 ; Oates in Hume's N. &• E. 2nd ed. ii,
p. 208.

The Small Green ]\'oodpecker, Jerdou.

Coloration. Male. Crown and occipital crest crimson, posterior
<;rest-feathers sometimes orange ; mantle olivaceous green ; rump
bright gamboge-yellow or sometimes orange ; a greyish-white
superciliary stripe bordered with black above, beginning'above the
.eye and extending back to the nape, the black extends forward
to the base of the forehead and to the brownish-black plumes over

Fig. 10. — Head of ''/. sfnolaftts.

the nostrils ; lores and a stripe under the eye and ear-coverts
brownish white ; ear-coverts grey, faintly streaked with whitish ;
malar band white, streaked with black ; wing-feathers as in G.
squamatus brownish black with white spots ; tail-feathers brownish
black, imperfectly barred towards the base with light brown,
outermost pair but one barred throughout ; lower parts greenish
white, breast greener and with a yellowish tinge ; chin and throat
striped ; feathers of remainder of lower parts with intramarginal
bands and occasional shaft-stripes of olive or brown.

Female. Tlie crown and occiput black, the sides of the crown-
feathers brownish ashy. Otherwise like the male.

Iris red, surrounded by white ; eyelids plumbeous ; upper man-
dible and tip of lower horn-colour, remainder of lower mandible
yellow; legs olive-green (Oates).

Length 11-5 ; tail 3"S ; wing 5-2 : tarsus 1 ; bill from gape 1*4.

Distrilmtion. The I'ange of this Woodpecker is somewhat peculiar.
It is found throughout the Himalayas as far west as Mussooree,
and is generally distributed throughout the countries south of the
Eastern Himalayas as far south as the Irrawaddy delta and
Toungngoo. Anderson obtained it at Momein. There is also in
the British Museum a skin from Siam. It also occurs, though
sparingly, throughout the forest country between the Ganges and
Oodcivari, east of long. 80"^ East, and in the forests of Malabar and of

22 PICIDiE.

the "Western G-hats as far north as the neighbourhood of Belgaum,
in Mysoi-e, and in other forest-clad tracts of Southern India; also,
but rarely, in Ceylon. In the Bombay Presidency north of Bel-
gaum and in Central and North-western India it is excessively
rare or wanting except on the Aravalli Eange near Abu.

Habits, 4-c. Breeds from March to May, in holes in the stems or
branches of trees, laying generally five glossy porcellanic white eggs,
that measure on an average 1"05 by "8.

949. Gecinus viridanus. The Burmese Scaly-bdlied Green
Woodj^ecktr.

Pious viridanus, Blyth, J. A. S. B. xii, p. 1000 (1843) ; xiii, p. 394.

Gecinus dimidiatus, apud Blyth, Cat. p. 58, nee Temm.

Gecinus viridanus, Horsf. ^- M. Cat. ii, p. C60; Wcdde/i, P. Z. S.

1866, p. 539 ; Beavc/n, Ibis, 1869, p. 414 ; Bh/th ^ Wald. Birds

Burm. p. 76 ; Gates, B. B. ii, p. 48 ; Ilaryitt, Ibis, 1888, p. 166 ;

id. Cat. B. M. xviii, p. 47 ; Salvadori, Ann. Mus. Civ. Gen. (2) v,

p. 566; vii, p. 432.
Gecinus vittatus, apud Hume 4'" Gates, S. F. iii, p. 68 ; ylrmstrony ,

S. F. iv, p. 310 ; Hnme S>- Dav. S. F. vi, p. 136 ; Hmne, Cat.

no. 171 bis ; Biiiyham, S. F. ix, p. 163, nee Vieill.

A^ery similar to G. striolatus, but larger, the bill and tail longer,
the malar band much more mai'ked, owing to the feathers having
much broader black median sti-ipes, the scale-like markings on the
lower parts much broader, so that the lower coloration is alto-
gether darker, the greenish brown predominating over the white
on the abdomen and especially on the lower tail-coverts, whilst the
reverse is the case in G. striolatus. As a rule in the present
species the rump is greenish yellow, not clear yellow or orange.
The upper parts are generally green as in G. striolatus, but are
sometimes darker and sometimes bronzy green.

Irides dull lake ; bill above dark, below yellowish, orbits slate-
lavender ; legs greenish ( Wardlaw Ramsay).

Length 13; tail 4*2 ; wing 5-6 ; tarsus 1-1 ; bill from gape 1-6.

Distribution. Throughout Arrakan, Pegu and Tenasserim, and
do^^■n the Malay Peninsula to Salanga and into Siam.

950. Gecinus occipitalis. TJie B?.acl--naped Green Woodjyecl'er.

Piciis occipitalis, Tu/oi-s, P. Z. S. 1830, p. 8 ; Blyth, J. A. S. B. x,

p. 922 ; xii, p. 1002 ; xiv, p. 191.
Picus barbatus, Gray in Hardiv. III. Ind. Zool. i, pi. xxxi, fig. 2

(1830-32).
Gecinus occipitaHs, Blyth, Cat. p. 58 ; Horsf. Sr M. Cat. ii, p. 661 ;

Jerd. B. I. i, p. 287 ; Godw.-Aust. J. A. S. B. xxxix, p. 267 ;

xlv, p. 70 ; Coch Sf Marsh. 8. F. i, p. 350 ; Hmne, S. F. iii, p. 70 ;

V, p. 26 ; xi, p. 62 ; id. Cat. no. 172 ; Blyth Sf Wald. Birds Bvrm.

]). 76; Hume S,- Dav. S. F. vi, p. 137 ; Gates, S. F. viii, p. 165 ;

Sctdly, ibid. p. 248 ; Binyham, S. F. ix, p. 164 ; Gates, B. B,

ii, p. 51 ; Marshall, Ibis, 1884, p. 410 ; Salvadori, Ann. Mus. Civ _

GECINUS. 23

Gen. (2) iv, p. 579 ; v, p. 566 ; Hargitt, Ibis, 1888, p. 6 ; id. Cat.
B. M. xviii, p. 56 ; Oates in Hume's N. ^' E. 2nd ed. ii, p. 299 ;
Sharpe, Yarkand Miss., Aves, p. 109.

Mong-choTi, Lepclia.

Coloration. Male. Forehead and crown crimson ; plumes over
nostrils, upper lores, a line above the grey supercilium, occiput
and short occipital crest, and a broad malar stripe from the lower
mandible black ; the occiput and malar stripe more or less mixed
with grey ; sides of head, including lower lores, supercilia, area
below eye, and ear- coverts, ashy grey : sides of neck, hind neck,
and back moderately bright green, generally tinged with bright
yellow on the rump and occasionally with orange, but sometimes
only brighter green ; secondary wing-coverts, tertiaries, and outer
webs of secondaries yellowish olive ; quills dark brown, the inner
webs, except near the tips, with imperfect white bars, the outer
webs of the primaries with equidistant white spots, primary-coverts
barred ; tail-featliers black, with greenish edges near the base, the
median pair with imperfect greenish-drab bars; breast green,
duller and more olivaceous than the back, passing into greyish
white on the throat and chin, and into ashy grey or sometimes
brownish grey on the abdomen; lower wing-coverts banded white
and brown.

Female. Whole forehead, crown, and nape black, the sides of
the feathers grey, producing a striped appearance.

The young is duller in colour and the lower plumage and tail-
feathers are barred.

Bill dull blackish brown ; eyelids purplish brown ; iris dull red ;
legs dull green ; claws greenish horn-colour {Oates).

Length 12-5; tail 4-7 (3-8 to 5-1); wing 5-6; tarsus 12; bill
from gape 1'7.

Distribution. From Murree and Kashmir throughout the Hima-
layas to Assam and Yunnan at modei'ate elevations, up to about
8000 feet to the westward and 5000 in tSikhim ; also the countries
between Assam and Burma, throughout Burma and in Siam.

Habits., <S,'c. Breeds in the Himalayas from the middle of May to
the middle of June, laying four, five, or sometimes six white eggs,
moderately glossy or very polished, in a hole, usually bored in tlie
stem of a tree, but much nearer the ground than in the case of
G. squamatus. The average size of the eggs is 1*14 by "SB.

951. Gecinus chlorolophus. The Small Himalayan

Yellow-najped WooclpecTcer.

Pious clilorolophus, Vieill. Nouv. Diet. d^Hist. Nat. xxvi, p. 78 (1818).
Pious uepaulensis, Gray in Hardw. III. Ind. Zool. i, pi. xxxi, fig. 1

(1830-32).
Gecinus chloropus, Blyth, Cat. p. 58 ; Tytler, A. M. N. H. (2) xiii,

p. 367 (1854J.
Chrysopblegma chlorolophus, Horsf. 8^ M. Cat. p. 662 ; Jerdon,

B. I. \, p. 289 ; Godw.-Aust. J. A. S. B. xxxix, pt. 2, p. 97 ; xlv,

24 PICIDJE.

pt. 2, p. 70 : Hump, S. F. iii, p. 71 ; v, p. 26 ; xi, p. 62 ; id. Cat.
no. 174 ; Blyth ^- Wald. Birds Burm. p. 76 ; Hume ^ liav. S. F.
vi, p. 138; Ball, 8. F. vii, p. 206; Scully, S. F. viii, p. 249;
Bingham, S. F. ix, p. 164 ; Gates, B. B. ii,'p. 45 ; C. H. T. Mar-
shall, Ibis, 1884, p. 410 ; Salvadori, Ann. Mus. Civ. Gen. 2, iv,
p. o78 ; Y, p. 560 ; vii, p. 379.
Geciuus chlorolophu,s, Hurgitt, Ibis, 1888, p. 184 ; id. Cat. B. M.
xviii, p. 59 ; Oates in Hume's JV. ^- F. ii, p. 300.

The Lesser Yelloic-naped Woodpecker, Jerdon.

Coloration. Male. Xasal plumes and a line above lores black ;
forehead, a stripe from the forehead on each side of the crown to
the nape, and the tips of the feathers forming a malar stripe on
each side of the lower mandible crimson ; crown of head olive-
green, some of the occipital feathers occasionally tipped crimson ;
nuchal crest of loose-textured feathers ending in filaments golden
to orange-yellow ; back, wing-coverts, rump, and upper tail-coverts
bright yellowish gi'een ; lores aud a band beneath the eye and
ear-coverts, also a narrow line over the eye, whitish ; ear-coverts
pale olive ; quills dark brown, the inner ^^'ebs, except near the
tips, with squarish white spots ; outer webs of primaries near
their base, and outer webs of secondaries throughout red bordered
with green ; a few small white spots (sometimes wanting) on
outer webs of primaries ; tail black, the median feathers with
bronzy-green edges near the base ; lower parts olive ; chin, throat,
abdomen, under wing-coverrs, and lower tail-coverts barred with
white or greenish white.

Female. No crimson on the forehead, sides of head above the
eye, nor on malar stripe, but there is a band on each side of the
occiput ; otherwise the plumage resembles that of the male. The
young are duller, the lo\^er parts dusky, not green, aud barred or
spotted throughout.

Bill yello\^'ish-green horny, culmen and tip dark plumbeous ;
irides carmine-red ; orbital skin bluish plumbeous ; tarsi dingv
green ; claws pale horny (Scully).

Length 10-5 ; tail 4 ; wing 5'4 ; tarsus -9 ; bill from gape 1-25.

Distribution. The lower Himalayas up to about 10,000 feet, as far
wesr as Cliamba, also Assam, Cachar, Tipperah, Mauipur, Arrakan,
Burma generally, and Tenasserim. A specimen referred to this
species has been obtained from Perak. This Woodpecker has been
reported from Orissa, but its occurrence in the Indian Peninsula
must be regarded as doubtful.

Habits., djT. Like other members of the genus, this green Wood-
pecker sometimes feeds on the ground. In Burma it is found
both in thick forests and open tree-jungle. The nest has been taken
in Sikkim in April, and contained three eggs, one measuring 1*14
by '72. The nest-hole was 14 feet from the ground in the stem
of a dry tree, the eggs white and glossy.

GECIXUS. 2o

i)52. Gecinus chlorogaster. TIte Soutli-Indian Yelloiv-naped
Woodjjeclcer.

Brachylophus meiitalis, a])iul Jcrdouj Madr. Jour. L. S. xi, p. :21Jr

(1840), wee Picas meutulis, Temm.
Picus chlorigaster, Jprdon, Madr. Jour. L. S. xiii, -pt. 2, p. 139

(1844).
Picus (Chloropicus) xanthoderus, Malherbe,Itei\ Zool. 184o, p. 402.
Gecinus chlorigaster, Bli/th, J. A. S. B. xv, p. 16; Hargitt, Ibis,

1888, p. 180 ; id. Cut. 'B. M. xviii, p. 62.
Gecinus chloroplianes, Blyth, Cat. p. oQ ; Laijard, A. M. N. H. (2)

xiii, p. 448 (1854).
Chrvsoplilegma cliloro])Iianes, Jerdon, B. I. i, p. 290 ; Holdsworth,

P. Z. S. 1872, p. 428 ; Le(/ge, Ibis, 1874, p. 15, 1875, p. 283 ;

Bourdillon, S. F. iv, p. 390.
Chrysoplilegma xanthuderus, Lci/ae, Birds Ceijl. p. 197.
Chrvsoplilegma chlorigaster, Hume, S. F. vii, p. 517 ; id. Caf.no. 175 ;

Butler, S. F. ix, p. 386 ; Davidson, S. F. x, p. 298 ; Davison, ibid.

p. 355; Taylor, ibid. p. 457 ; Barnes, Birds Bom. p. 117.

The Southern Yellow-naped Woodpecker, Jerdon ; Pachcha karalla,
Cingalese.

Coloration. Male. Xasal plumes brownish black ; forehead,
crown, occiput (feathers elongated), and malar stripe crimson, only
the tips of the feathers red and the dusky bases conspicuous ;
nuchal crest yellow, the feathers loose-textured ; back, scapulars,
rump, and upper tail-coverts green ; wing-coverts yellow bronze-
green, tinged with red towards the shafts ; quills brownish black,
the inner webs, except near the tips, with round white spots :
outer webs of primaries near base and of secondaries throughout
red, bordered with bronze-green, a few small white spots on outer
webs of primaries ; tail black or brownish black ; lores whitish ;
sides of head and neck and all lower parts dull olive, spotted or
barred with. Mhite on the chin, throat, and abdomen, or in the
young almost throughout, but generally the breast is unspotted.

Female. Forehead and crown dark olive, the occiput alone bemg
crimson, and there is no malar stripe ; otherwise as in the male.

Bill slaty greenish, yellow beneath ; legs dull green ; irides
reddish brown (Jerdon).

Length 9-5 ; tail 3-25 (varying from 2-9 to 5-5) ; wing 4-65 ;
tarsus "85 ; bill from gape 1"05.

Distribution. The hills in the neighbourhood of the Western
coast of India as far north as Khandesh, also in the greater part
of Ceylon. This "Woodpecker is not found above 5000 feet on the
Mlgiris. It occurs in the AVynaad and Mysore, but not to the
eastward.

Habits, Sfc. This bird has a plaintive call, which it frequently
utters when perched on the upper branch of a high tree. It
often, like other Gecini, feeds on fallen trees on the ground,
and according to Layard breaks into dried cowdung in search of
insects. Legge found ants besides coleoptera in the stomach of
those he examined.

953. Gecinus puniceus. The Crlmson-ivi)}i/ed Green
Wood'peclcer.

Picus puniceus, Horrf. Trans. Linn. Soc. xiii, p. 176 (1821).
Geciuus puniceus, Blyth, Cat. p. 59: Har(jitt, Ibis, 1888, p. 176; id.

Cat. B. M. xviii, p. 64.
Venilia punicea, Horsf. Sf- M. Cat. ii, p. 6(54.
Chrvsophlegma puniceus, Blyth, Birds Biinn. p. 77 ; Ilame, S. F.

iii, p. 324 ; Oates, B. B. ii, p. 44.
Callolophus puniceus, Hume 8,- Dav. S. F. vi, p. 1.".9 ; Hume, Cat.

no. 175ter.

Coloration. Male. jN'asal plumes and a line over the lores
brownish black ; forehead, cro\^Ti, nape, and broad malar stripe
crimson, this colour descending for some distance behind the ear-
coverts ; nuchal crest of loose-textured feathers yellow ; back and
scapulars green, more or less olivaceous ; lower back and rump
the same, the feathers edged with pale yellow : wing-coverts,
whole outer webs of secondaries, and basal portion of outer webs
of primaries deep crimson ; tips of secondaries and tertiaries
green ; remainder of quills dark brown, outer webs of primaries
sometimes with a few white spots ; inner webs of all with larger
white spots or imperfect bars ; tail black ; sides of head dull olive ;
chin and throat light brown or brownish olive ; sides of neck
and lower parts olive-green ; the flanks spotted with white.

The female has no malar band, but otherwise precisely resembles
the male. Toung birds are duller in colour and have the lower
parts browner and spotted more or less throughout.

Upper mandible black ; lower mandible and edges of upper at
gape dark greenish yellow ; iris crimson ; orbital skin laveuder-
blue ; legs and feet pale green (Davison).

Length 10*5; tail 8-75; wing o'lo; tarsus -0; bill from
gape 1-4.

Distribution. The Malay Peninsula, extending into Southern
Tenasserim as far north as Tavoy ; and to the southward to
Sumatra, Java, and Borneo.

Habits, dj-c. According to Davison this Woodpecker inhabits
evergreen forests. It is very noisy in the evening and has a
peculiar note, which it utters from the top of a high tree. It is
usually seen singly and has not been observed on the ground.

954. Grecinus nigrigenis. l^he Red-rumj)ed Green Woodpeclcer.

Gecinus erythropygius, apud Ij'ardl. Ramsay, P. Z. S. 1874, p. 212,
pi. XXXV ; Waldcn, Ibis, 1875, pp. 148, 468; id. in Blyth' s Birds
Biirm. p. 76 ; Oates, S. F. x, p. 191 ; id. B. B. ii, p. 6'2 ; Hargitt,
Ibis, 1888, p. 189, nee Elliot.

Gecinus nijirigeuis, Hume, F. A. S. B. 1874, p. 106; id. S. F. ii,
pp. 444, 471 ; id. Cat. no. 171 ter ; Hume S) Dav. S. F. vi,p. 136;
Bingham, S.F. ix, p. 163; Hargitt, Cat. B. M. xviii, p. 67; Oates
in Hume's N. 8c E. 2nd ed. ii. p. 300.

Coloration. Male. Cap iiicludiiig the sides of the head and

CnRYSOPHLEG>tA, 27

nuchal crest black, except an area of variable size on the cro^^•n,
which is crimson ; back, scapulars, wing-coverts, and upper tail-
coverts yellowish gi-eeu ; rump bright scarlet, sometimes mixed
with yellow (the latter may show immaturity); quills dark
brown, the inner webs with white bands, outer webs of
primaries with white spots, outer webs of secondaries through-
out and of primaries near the base yellowish green ; tail black,
the median feathers with green edges towards the base ; chin,
throat, sides of neck, and upper breast yellow, shading off
on the lower breast into the colour of the abdomen, Avhich is whitish
with scale-like brown markings formed by intramarginal bands and
shaft-lines to the feathers, these markings being broader on the
lower tail-coverts.

The fcjitale wants the red of the crown, but otherwise resembles
the male. In some specimens of both sexes there is a white or
yellow line behind the eye.

Bill dark horny : iris sulphur-yellow" ; legs and feet dark green;
claws horny (Biiu/ham). The basal portion of the lower mandible
is yellow to a variable extent.

Length 12-75 ; tail 5 ; wing 6*3 ; tarsus 1-2 ; bill from gape 1-6.

Distribution. From Karennee and Toungngoo in the north to
Southern Tenasserim. A specimen has also been received at the
British Museum from Siam. The true G. erytltropygius, from
Cochin China and Laos, has a white bill.

Habits, 4-c. This beautiful green Woodpecker keeps to the drier
and more thinly wooded Tenasserim hills, and is chiefly found in
eng- {Dipterocarpus) and bamboo-jungle. According to Bingham
its note is peculiar and consists of 12 to 15 whistled notes, the
first high and shrill, the others descending in the scale. The nest,
containing two glossy white eggs measuring 1*18 by "93, was
found by the same observer in a pynkado-trec (X>/lia) on
March 18th.

Genus CHRYSOPHLEGMA, Gould, 1849,

Bill more curved than in Oecinus ; culmen blunt, nasal ridge
almost obsolete. A moderately long nuchal crest. The coloration
above is similar to that of Gecimis, green being the prevailing tint,
the crest is yellow and the quills barred with rufous. Below,
except on the throat, the colour is nearly uniform. The sexes are
distinguished by difference of colour in the chin and malar region,
not on the crown. This genus ranges from the Himalayas to
Borneo and Java.

Key to the Species.

Upper surface of wings green C- flarinucha, ly. -b.

Upper surface of wings red = t-'- humii, p. -8.

28 PICIBiE.

955, Chrysophlegma flavinuclia. The Large Yelloiv-naped
Woodped'er.

Picus flavinuclia, Gould, P. Z. S. 1833, p. 120: Blyth,J. A. S. B.

xii, p. 1003.
Diyotomus flavip'ula, Hodgson, J. A. S. B. vi, p. lOG.
Geciiuis flavinuclia, Bhjth, Cat. p. 58.
Chrysoplilegma flavinuclia, Gould, B. Asia, vi, pi. xxxvi ; Horsf. S( M.

Cat. ii, p: 60:2 ; Jerdon, B. I. i, p. 289 ; id. Ibis, 1872, p. 9 ; Hume ^

Gates, S. F. iii, p. 71 ; Hume S) Lu/lis, S. F. \, p. 26 ; Godw.-Aust.

J. A. S. B. xxxix, pt. 2, p. 97 ; Blyth S,- Wald. Birds Bunn. p. 76 ;

Hume S)- Dav. S. F. vi, p. 137 ; Hume, Cat. no. 173 ; id. S. F. xi,

p. 62 ; Gates, B. B. ii, p. 43 ; Hanjitt, Ibis, 1886, p. 262 ; id. Cat.

B. M. xviii, p. 127.

Momj-ldi-oiuj , Lepcha.

Coloration. Male. Top and sides of head olive, more oi' less
])assiag into rufous-bi'own on the forehead aud crown and some-
times on the occiput, ear-cov^erts a little paler ; nuchal crest of
loose-textured feathers orange or golden yellow ; whole back and
outer surface of v^ings glossy yellowish green ; quills dark brown,
broadly banded on both webs, except towards the tips, witb pale
chestnut ; tail black, the middle feathers with olive fringes towards
the base ; malar region, chin, and throat pale yellow ; sides of neck
deep olive ; feathers of fore neck A^hite, each with a large terminal
olive spot, forming a mixed pattern of olive and white ; breast
olive, passing on the abdomen into ashy grey or ashy brown.

Femcde. The malar region, chin, and throat rufous brown instead
of yellow.

Bill dusky bluisb white; iris red; eyelids and gape greenish
blue ; legs dusky blue ; claws born-colour (Gates).

Length 13 ; tail 5 ; wing 6*5 ; tarsus 1*1 ; bill from gape 1*6.

Disirilmtion. The Himalaj'as as far west as Mussooree, chiefly
between about 2000 and 7000 feet. This bird has not been
recorded further west, bvit to the eastward it rauges through
Assam, Cacliar, Arrakan, Pegu, Karennee, and Nortliern Tenasserim
to a little south of IMoulmein.

Ilahits, cfr. This Woodpecker inhabits forests and feeds fre-
quently on the ground. The nidification has not been observed.

956. Chrysophlegma humii. The Chequered-throated
Woodpeelcer.

Gecinus mentalis, apud Bli/tJt, Cat. p. 59 {nee Picus nientalis, Temm.).
t'hrysoplilegma nientalis, apud Bhjtli, Birds Burma, p. 76.
Callolophus nientalis, apud Hume l^ Dav. S. F. vi, p. 138; Hume, Cat.

no. 175 bis ; Gates, B. B. ii, p. 46.
Chrysophlegma squamicolle, apiul Hargitt, Ibis, 1886, p. 269 [7iec

Picus squamicollis, Lesson).
Chrysophlegma huniii, Hargitt, Ibis, 1889, p. 231 ; id. Cat. B. M.

xviii, p. 126.

Coloration. Male. Top and sides of head olive-green ; occipital

CALLOLOPllUS. 29

crest of loose-textured feathers bright yellow; back, scapulars,
tertiaries, and rump olive-green, paler than the head ; ^\•iug-coverts.
outer borders of secondaries throughout, and of primaries near
base dull red; remainder of wiug-feathers brown, secondaries
broadly barred on the inner webs and primaries on both webs,
except" near the tips, with rufous ; tail black ; a broad malar band
from the lower mandible dark olive, sometimes brown, spotted
with w hite ; feathers of the chin and throat white, each with a
broad brown shaft-stripe; sides of neck, fore neck, and upper
breast bright chestnut, this colour passing round to the hind neck
behind the crest ; lower parts from breast olive-green, rather more
olive than the back. Under wing-coverts barred brown and pale
rufous or dirty orange.

In the female the chin and malar band are chestnut like the
breast and not spotted.

Upper mandible dull black, lower mandible and edges of upper
near nostrils pale plumbeous : irides deep red ; orbital skin green :
legs and feet green ; claws plumbeous.

Length 11 ; tail 3-9 ; wing 5-25 ; tarsus -9 ; bill from gape 1-5.

Dlstrihiitlon. Malayan Peuinsula, Borneo and Sumatra, extend-
ing north into the southern extremity of the Tenasserim provinces,
where this A\^oodpecker is rare. The true C. mentale, long sup-
posed to be identical with the present species, is peculiar to Java.

Genus CALLOLOPHUS, Salvadori, 1874.

This genus was proposed for three species : C. punicevs, which
belongs to Gecinus, C. mentalis {Chrysoplilerjma Jiumii), and
C. malaccensis, no type being named. The last-named species has
been placed in ChrysoiMe(jma by Hargitt, but it and its near ally
C. mimatus, which is confined to Java, exhibit a widely different
coloration from that characteristic of Chrysophlcfima, the plumage
being barred both above and below. This is, I think, especially
amongst Woodpeckers, a more important generic distinction than
slight differences in the form of the bill.

Calloloplms has a long and broad occipital crest, and the bill is
shorter, more curved, and broader at the base than that of
Chrysopldegma .

957. Callolophus malaccensis. The Banded Red Wood,pecl:er.

Pious malaccensis, Lath. Lid. Orn. i, p. 241 (1790) ; Blyth,J. A. S. B.

xiv, p. 192.
Gecinus malaccensis, Blyth, Cat. p. .59.
Cbrysophlegma malaccensis, Hume, S. F. iii, p. 324.
Callolophus malaccensis, Salvad. Ann. Mus. Civ. Gen. v, p. oO :

Lfimie ^- Dav. S. F. vi, pp. 140, 501 ; Hume, Cat. no. 17o quat. ;

Oates, B. B. ii, p. 47.
Cbrysophlegma malaccense, Hargitt, Ldis, 1886, p. 276 ; id. Cat.

B. M. xviii, p. 122.

30 PICIB.E.

Coloration. Male. Nasal plumes brown ; forehead, lores, crowu,
occiput, and upper part of long occipital crest dull crimson ; lower
and longer feathers of the crest pale yellow ; on the sides of the
head the feathers are brown, tipped with crimson, sometimes
with terminal whitish spots ; hind neck and back dull olive-green
with wavy buff or yellow cross-bars ; the feathers of the lo^^•er
back and rump edged with pale yellow ; upper tail-coverts brown
with a few buff spots ; sides of neck and of back more or less tinged
with crimson ; scapulars and whole outer surface of wing dull
crimson like the head ; quills dai"k brown, the inner webs of all
with pale rufous bars, outer webs of primaries with rufous spots ;
chin, throat, and sides of neck light rufous brown, sometimes
speckled with buff and dusky, and passing on the breast into the
colour of the remaining underparts, which are marked with alter-
nate undulating bars of dark brown and rufous white.

In the female there is no crimson on the forehead or on the sides
of the head in front of the ear-coverts, these with the chin and
throat are dark broMn and speckled, each feather tipped dusky
with a terminal white spot. Young birds are dull pale brown
beneath with ill-marked dark bars.

Upper mandible black, lower bluish white; irides red ; eyelids
grey ; legs and feet pale dingy green {Davison).

Length 10 ; tail 2-() ; wing 5 ; tarsus -9 ; bill from gape 1-2.

Distribution. Malay Peninsida, Sumatra, and Borneo, extending
into Southern Tenasserim as far north as Tavoy.

Hahits, 4'c. According to Davison this Woodpecker is found
in evergreen forests and mangrove swamps. It is never seen on
the ground, and is generally solitary.

Genus GECINULUS, Blyth, 1845.

Only three toes present, the hallux or inner posterior digit
wanting. Bill short, compressed ; culmen blunt, nearly straight ;
nasal I'idge obsolete ; nostrils close to base of bill ; nasal plumes
short. Tail-feathers broad, not acuminate ; outer pair longer than
coverts, but much shorter than the rest, which are regularly
graduated. Crest short, inconspicuous.

Plumage of head pale and yellowish, of upper parts red or green,
of lower parts uniform olive or brown. Males with a red crown,
females without. Two species, both «ithin our area.

Kei/ to the t^pecies.

Above dull red G. (/rantia, p. 30.

Above green G. viridis, p. 31.

958. Gecinulus grantia. The Northern Pale-headed Woodjjccl-er.
Pious (Chrysonotus) grantia, McClelland, P. Z. S. 1839, p. 1G5.

GECINUIiUS. 31

Gecinulus giantia, Blyth., J. A. S. B. xiv, p. 192 ; id. Cat. p. 60 ;
Korsf. ^- M. Cat. ii, p. 663 ; Jerdon, B. I. i, p. 292 ; Bulcjer, Ibis,
1869, p. lo7; Godw.-Aiist. J. A. S. B. xliii, pt. 2, p. 155; xlv,
pt. 2, p. 70 ; Hume Sf Im/lis, S. F. \, p. 26 ; Hume, Cat. no. 177 ;
id. S. F. xi, p. 63; Haraitt, Cat. B. M. xviii, p. 134.

TJie Pale-headed Woodjiecker, Jerdon ; Ka-ter, Lepcha ; Koria, Dafla.

Coloration. Male. Forehead, lores, cheeks, and chin light brown ;
crown piuk, the feathers edged with deeper red ; oceipnt and nape
with the ear-coverts dull olivaceous yellow ; upper parts from
neck dull red, tail-feathers edged with the same ; priiuarv-coverts
dull yellow ; quills and tail-feathers brown, barred or spotted on
both webs with rufous white ; lower parts dark olive, paler and
yellower on throat and light brown on the chin ; under wing-
coverts and axillaries dusky brown with rufous spots.

In the female the red of the crown is wanting, and the whole
head is dull yellow.

Bill bluish white, darker blue at the base ; irides red ; legs pale
dusky green (Jerdon).

Length 10 ; tail '3-7 ; wing o ; tarsus '95 ; bill from gape 1*1.

Distribution. Common in the Eastern Himalayas, chiefly between
2000 and 5000 feet as far west as Nepal ; found also in Assam,
the hill-ranges to the south, Cachar and Manipiir. A specimen is
also recorded from Laos (Siam).

Habits., <Sf-c. According to Jerdon this Woodpecker has a squeaking
note. Hume met with it in Manipur in pairs.

959. Gecinulus viridis. The l^outhem Pale-headed Woodpecl-er.

Gecinulus viridis, Bhjth, J. A. S. B. xxxi, p. 841 (1862) ; Hmne,
S. F. n, p. 472, ix, p. 112 ; id. Cat. no. 177 bis ; Htme ^- Oates,
S. F. iii. p 71 ; Bh/th S^- Wald. Birds Biirm. p. 77 ; Hume Sf Dar.
S. F. vi, p. 144 ; Biiujham, S. F. ix, p. 164 ; Oates, B. B. ii, p. 41 ;
Hnryitt, Cat. B, M. xviii, p. 136.

Coloration. Male. Forehead, lores, and sides of head yellowisli
brown ; sides of neck more yellow, this colour extending round
the neck behind the occipital crest, which, with the crown, is bright
crimson ; back, scapulars, wing-coverts, and outer margins of wing-
feathers, except of primaries towards their tips, yellowish olive,
the rump-feathers the same, but narrowly edged and tipped with
scarlet or orange ; quills brown, with white spots on the inner
webs, and sometimes indistinct pale spots on the outer ; tail-
feathers brown, the outer webs bordered with olive-yellow near
the base, the inner webs of all but the middle pair spotted with
white ; lower parts dark olive-green to greenish brown ; throat
more yellow.

Female. No red on head, which is yellowish brown throughout,
much yellower on the nape, so as to have a broad yellow collar.

Bill pale bluish white, strongly tinged with blue at base ; irides
brown ; legs, feet, and claws pale dirty green {Davison).

32 picid.t:.

Length 10-5 ; tail 3-9 ; wing 5-2 : tarsus 1 ; bill from gape 1-2.

Distribution. Common in the P(^gii hills between Thayet Myo
and Toungngoo, also tbroughout Tenasserim. The most southern
locality recorded is Kussoom, a litth* north of Junk Ceylon.

Habits, i^c. This Woodpecker inhabits both deciduous and ever-
green forest, but is chiefly found on and amongst bamboos.
According to Davison it occui's singly or in jxairs, never in parties.

Genus HYPOPICUS. Bonap., 1854.

Bill slender, compressed, truncated : culmen straight, angulate ;
nasal ridge strougly nuirked, but lo^v down near the commissure
and not extending more than halfway along the bill; nostrils
basal, nasal plumes short ; gonys long, chin -angle near to
the gape, much concealed by bristles ; fourth (outer posterior) toe
slightly longer than third (outer anterior). Head scarcely crested.
Outer pair of tail-feathers shorter than coverts. Plumage soft,
black and white above, chestnut below ; crown of head red in
males, black spotted with white in females.

Only two species are known, one inhabits the Himalayas, the
other Northern China.

960. Hypopicus hyperythrus. The Evfous-beWwd Pied
Woodpecker.

Picus hyperythrus, Vigors, P. Z. S. 1831, p. 23 ; Bhjth, J. A. S. B.
xiv, p' 19« ; id. Cat. p. 63 : Blanford, J. A. S. B. xh, pt. 2, p. 43.

Hypopicus hyperj'thrus. Bona}}. Conq). Vvlucr. Zy<jod. p. 8 ; Horsf. i^-
M. Cat. ii, p. 675 ; Jerdon, B. I. i, p. 276 : id. Ibis, 1872, p. 7 ;
Godio.-Aust. J. A. S. B. xliii, pt. 2, p. 155 ; Hume, Cat. no. 161 :
id. iS. F. xi, p. 59; Hargitt, Cat. B. M. xviii, p. 199; Oates in
Hume's Is. 4'" E. 2iid ed. ii. p. .'501 : Sharpe, Yark. Miss., Aves,
p. 109.

Fig. 11.— Head of//, hi/ijcrythrus, §.

Coloration. Male. Nasal plumes black, white at the base : base
of forehead, sides of face, and chin grey (mixed black and white) :
lores, a stripe below the eye and a spot above and behind the eye
pure white ; crown and nape crimson ; upper plumage from neck
to rump broadly barred black and ^\hite ; quills black, spotted
on both webs and tipped with white, inner webs of primaries
unspotted near the tips ; four middle tail-feathers black, the next

DENDBOCOPUS. 33

pair black with fulvous-white spots on the outer webs ; the two
outer large feathers on each side barred black and fulvous white ;
sides of neck and lower parts from throat bright chestnut ; vent
and lower tail-coverts light crimson ; thigh-coverts and undei"
wing-coverts banded black and white ; axillaries white.

Female. The crown and nape black, spotted with white, lu
young birds there are bars on the lower plumage.

Bill black above, whitish beneath ; legs plumbeous (Jerdoa).
Bill pale yellow beneath (Godwin- Austen).

Length 8 ; tail 3-5 ; wing 5 ; tarsus 0-85 ; bill from gape 1,
Distribution. Throughout the Himalayas from Murree to Sikhim
and probably to Eastern Tibet, also in the Khasi, Nclga, and Manipur
hills, at 4000 to 5000 feet elevation. This Woodpecker has been
obtained in Cochin China, but not in Burma. It ranges to a con-
siderable elevation on the Himalayas, and is the commonest
Woodpecker in the pine-forests of Sikhim, at 9000-12,000 feet
iibove the sea.

Habits, ^0. The nest has been observed by Col. C, H. T, Marshall
at Murree, and the eggs taJten towards the latter end of April.
The nests were as usual mere holes in trees, and the eo-o-s, de-
posited on the bare wood, were regular ovals, pure white, measurino-
about -87 by -67. ' ""

Genus DENDROCOPUS, Koch, 1816.

Bill wedge-shaped, upper mandible compressed towards the end ;
culmen angulate, straight or very slightly curved, nasal ridge com-
mencing halfway between culmen and commissure and extending
more than half the length of the bill ; nostrils concealed by plumes,
chin-angle similarly concealed ; gonys sharply angulate ; fourth
(outer hind) toe longer than third (outer fore) ; occiput slightly
crested, more in some species than in others ; wing rather pointed,
the primaries exceeding the secondaries by about the length of the
culmen. Upper plumage black and white, more or less in bars ;
lower plumage white or fulvous, generally streaked brown or black.
Cro^vn and occiput wholly or partly red in males, black or brown in
females.

A large genus, of which the type is the European Picus major,
and which ranges over almost the whole of Europe, Asia, and
North America. Ten species occur within Indian limits.

Key to the Species,

a. Middle tail-feathers entirely black, outer
barred white.
a'. Back entirely black.

a". Lower parts not striated.
a^. Scapulars black.

a*. Under tail-coverts red, not ab-
domen ; crown red in <5" , black
ill ? I>. himalayensis, p. 34.

VOL. III. jj

34 PICIDiE.

6*. Abdomen and under tail-coverts
red ; crown always black ; occi-
put red in males only D. cabanisi, p. 35.

b^. Scapulars white D. sindianus, p. 36.

b". Lower parts striated ; occiput red in c? ,
black in $ .
c^. Larger, wing 5 ; no red gorget .... D. darjilensis, p. 37.
d^. Smaller, wing 4 ; no red gorget . . D. cathpharius, p. 37.
e^. Smaller, wing 4 ; a red gorget .... U. pyrrhothorax, p. 38..
b' . Back transversely barred with white,
c". Crown and occiput crimson in cf?
black in $ .
/^. Throat and fore neck uniform ; breast

spotted D. onacii, p. 30.

g^. All lower parts except chin striated D. atratns, p. 40.
d". Crown umber-brown in both sexes ;
occiput crimson and yellow in J,

dull yellow in $ J). awice^JS, p. 40.

b. All tail-feathers parti-coloured black and
white,
c'. Small spots on breast.

e". Crown red D. pectoralis c? , P- 41,

f . Crown black D. pectoralis 5 , p. 41.

d'. Spots on breast broader than white spaces
between.

g" . Crown and occiput red D. andammmtsis S , p. 42.

h". Crown and occiput brown D.andamanensis^,^.4:2^

961. Dendrocopus himalayensis. The Western Himalayan
Fled Woodpeclter.

Picus himalayensis, Jard. 8i Selby, III. Orn. iii, pi. cxvi (c. 1835) ;

Sume, Cat. no. 154 ; Wardl. Rams. Ibis, 1880, p. 50 ; Biddulph,

Ibis, 1881, p. 48 ; id. S. F. ix, p. 313 ; Scully, Ibis, 1881, p. 429 ;

id. S. F. X, p. 101 ; C. H. T. Marshall, Ibis, 1884, p. 410.
Picus himalayanus. Gray, Gen. B. ii, p. 435 (1845) ; Blyth, J. A. S. B.

xvi, p. 466 ; id. Cat. p. 62 ; Horsf. Sf M. Cat. ii, p. 670 ; Adams,

P. Z. S. 1858, p. 475, partim ; 1859, p. 173 ; Jerdon, B. I. i, p. 269 ;

Stoliczka, J. A. S. B. xxxvii, pt. 2, p. 20; Cock ^ Marsh. S. F. i,

p. 350 ; Beavan, Ibis, 1869, p. 412 ; Jerdon, Ibis, 1872, p. G ;

Hume ^ Henders. Lah. to Yark. p. 179 ; Brooks, S. F. iii, p. 232 ;

Wardl. Bams. Ibis, 1879, p. 447.
Dendrocopus himalayensis, Hargiit, Cat. B. M. xviii, p. 220 ; Oates

in Humes N. ^ E. 2nd ed. ii, p. 301 ; Sharpe, Yark. Miss., Aves,

p. 110.
The Himalayan Pied Woodpecker', Jerdon ; Turkdn, Chamba.

Coloration. Male. Nasal plumes black, white at base ; forehead
brownish white ; crown and occiput crimson, the feathers dark
grey at the base, then black and tipped with red ; lores, a narrow
supercihuui, and the sides of the face and neck white, often ful-
vescent, and the ear-coverts in part black ; a black band from the
lower mandible down each side of the neck, joined to the nape by
a cross black baud behind the ear-coverts ; hind neck, back, sca-
pulars, rump, and upper tail-coverts glossy black ; wings and most
of the wing-coverts black, the innermost median and greater

DEXDROCOPUS. 35

coverts wholly or chiefly white, and the quills spotted with white
on both webs, the spots forming interrupted bands ; the four
median tail-feathers black ; the others banded fulvous white and
black, and sometimes havinsj the outer webs almost or entireh

Fig. 12. — Head of i>. hlmalayensis (^ .

white ; lower parts light brownish grey, sometimes almost white ;
the lower abdomen more fulvous ; vent and lower tail-coverts pale^
crimson.

In the female the crown and occiput are black, like the back.

Bill leaden grey ; upper mandible blackish ; irides red-brown :
legs and feet dark greenish brown.

Length 9-5 ; tail 3 5 ; wing 5"2 ; tarsus '9 ; bill from gape 1*35.

Cashmere birds are much paler beneath than those from other
localities, and are often almost white below. A male skin in the
Hume Collection from Kotgai'h has the lower parts from the
breast suffused with red.

Distribution. The "Western Himalayas from Kumaun to Murree,
also Gilgit to the north, and Kuram in Afghanistan to the west.
This Woodpecker breeds according to Hume between 3000 and
8000 feet, but Jerdon found it common up to 10,000, Biddulph
met with it between 9000 and 10,000 in Gilgit, and Stoliczba up
to 11,000 in Chini.

Habits, Sj-c. Breeds from the middle of April to the end of May
in holes in trees as usual, trunks of oaks being often selected.
The eggs are 4 or 5 in number, glossy and white, and measure
about 1 inch by '75.

962. Dendrocopus cabanisi. The CJdnese Pied Wooclpecl-er.

Pious cabanisi, Malherhe, J.f. Orn. 1854, p. 172.

Picus mandarinus, Malh. Bull. Soc. d' Hist. Nat. Moselle, Vm, p. 17

{lSr>7);Godw.-Aust. J. A. S. B. xlv, pt. 2, p. 194; Hume, S. F. \,

p. 53, xi, p. .56; id. Cat. no. 155 bis.
Dendrocopus cabanisi, Hargitt, Cat. B. M. xviii, p. 218.

This resembles D. liimalayensis on the upper surface, except in
having the crown of the male black and the crimson confined to

d2

36 piciD.ii;.

the occiput. Below there is more difference. In the present
species the black malar band is much broader, and continued to
the side of the breast, the feathers of the breast between the ends
of the black bands are tipped with red ; the chiu, throat, and
breast are fulvous brown ; abdomen and under tail-coverts crimson ;
edge of wing, under wing-coverts, and axillaxies white.

Bill dark plumbeous (G.-A.). Length 8; tail 3*4; wing 5;
tarsus '95 ; bill from gape 1*3.

Distribution. Throughout China ; two male specimens were ob-
tained by Godwin-Austen at Gonglong in the Manipur hills. This
Woodpecker appears not to have been observed elsewhere within
Indian limits.

963. Dendrocopus sindianus. TJie Sind Pied Woodpecker.

Picus assimilis, Natt., Bonap. Consp. Valuer. Zygod. p. 8 (1854 ;

descr. nulla).
Picus scindeauus, Gould, Horrf. 8,- M. Cat. ii. p. 671 (1856-58) ;

Jerdon, B. I. i, p. 273 ; Hume, Ibis, 1870, p. 629 ; Jerdon, Ibis, 1872,

p. 7 ; Hwne 8f Henders. Lah. to Yark. p. 179, pi. ii ; Hume, S. F. i,

p. 170 ; Barnes, S. F. ix, pp. 215, 453 ; Murray, Vert. Zool. Sind,

p. 113 ; St. John, Ibis, 1889, p. 157.
Picus sindianus, Blanf. East. Pers. ii, p. 132 ; Hume, Cat. no. 158 ;

Doig, S. F. viii, p. .370; ix, p. 279; Smnhoe, Ibis, 1882, p. 102 ;

Barnes, Birds Bom. p. 112 ; Oates in Humes N. ^ E. 2nd ed. ii,

p. 303.
Dendrocopus scindeanus, Hargitt, Cat. B. M. xviii, p. 227.

Coloration. Male. Nasal plumes white with black tips ; forehead
white, sometimes buff or light brown ; crown and occiput crimson ;
a malar band from lower mandible down the neck, back of neck,
back, rump, and upper tail-coverts black ; lores, supercilia, sides
of head and neck, scapulars and innermost median and greater
wing-coverts, together with the lower parts from the chin to the
abdomen, under wing-coverts and axillaries, white ; lower abdomen,
vent, and under tail-coverts crimson. Wings and tail similar to
those of D. Jiimalayensis, except that the wing-feathers are brown,
that the white spots on both webs are much larger, and the unspotted
tips of the primaries shorter. In some specimens too the three
middle pairs of tail-feathers are entirely black. The wing is
differently shaped, being shorter and rounder.

In the fe^nale the crown and occiput are black.

Bill bluish plumbeous ; irides dark maroon ; legs and feet
greyish plumbeous (Butler) • irides crimson (Barnes).

Length 8-5; tail 3-1 ; wing 4-5; tarsus -8; bill from gape I'l.
Females slightly smaller, and with a somewhat shorter bill.

Distrihition. Throughout Sind, Baluchistan, and the Western
Punjab as far north as Peshawar, Murree, and Sirsa, and westwards
to Bampur in S.E. Persia. St. John obtained specimens, now in
the British Museum, in the Khwaja Amran range north-west of
Quetta.

DENDROCOPTJS. 37

Habits, Si'c. This species is chiefly found in tamarisk scrub,
which abounds in 8ind and the ueiglibouring countries. It breeds
in holes in tamarisk aud babul {Acacia arahica) trees in March
and April.

964. Dendrocopns darjilensis. The Darjeeling Pied Woodjiecker.

Deiidrocopus luaj oroides, IIocUjs. in Grays Zool. Misc. p. 85 (1844 ;,

descr. nulla).
Pious (Deudrojopus) darjellensis, Blyth, J. A. S. B. xiv, p. 19&

(J84o).
Picas darjellensia, Blijth, J. A. S. B. xvi, p. 466; id. Cat. p. 62.
Picus majoroides, Grai, Cut. Mamm. Sfc. Coll. Ilodgs. pp. 115, 155

(1846) ; Uorsf. 8f M. Cat. ii, p. 671 ; Jerdon, B. I. i, p. 270 ; id.

Ibis,^ 1872, p. 7 ; Buh/er, Ibis, 1869, p. 156 ; Godw.-Aust. J. A. S. B.

xxxi.Y, pt. 2, p. 97 ; Scully, S. F. viii, p. 244 ; Hume, Cat. no. 155.
Dendrocopns daijilensls, Hargitt, Cat. B. M. xviii, p. 221.

The DarjeeliiHf Black Woodpecker, Jerdon; 8adye7'-mony-prek,lje^c\m^

Coloration. Male. Nasal plumes black ; forehead, lores, narrow
supercilium, and sides of face, including the ear-coverts, whity
brown ; sides of neck behind the ear-coverts the same, washed with
orange or golden yellow ; crown and upper surface generally
glossy black, except the occiput aud nape which are light crimson,
and the innermost mediau and greater wing-coverts which are
mostly or wholly white ; wing-feathers black with white spots on
both webs; tail-feathers black, the median two pairs uniform, the
others more or less barred with fulvous white ; chin whitish, ends
of bristles black, throat light brown uustriped ; breast and abdomen
yellowish fulvous, with longitudinal black streaks, becoming bars-
on the flanks ; vent and under tail-coverts light crimson.

In ine female the occiput and nape are black instead of red. In
a young male, described by Scully, all the feathers of the crown
were tipped with dull crimson.

Upper mandible slaty black, lower grey horny ; orbital skin
plumbeous; irides reddish brown to deep crimson; feet dingy
green {Sculli/).

Length 9-5 ; tail 3-75 ; wing 5 ; tarsus -9 ; bill from gape 1-5.

Distrihution. Himalayas in Nepal and Sikhim, from about 3000
to 12,000 feet elevation, and eastward to Moupin and Western Se-
chuan. This Woodpecker was also obtained in the North Cachar
and Anghami Naga hills by Godwin-Austen.

Habits, L^c. The breeding does not appear to have been recorded.
This species was observed by Scully on moss-covered oaks, usually
singly or in pairs high up on the trees.

965. Dendrocopus cathpliarius. The Lesser Pied Woodpeclcer.

Picus (Dendrocopus) cathpharius, Hodqs., Blyth, J. A. S. B. xii,

p. 1006 (18-1:^).

Picus cath])harius, Blyth, Cat. p. 63 ; Horsf. S,- M. Cat. il. p. 673.

38 PICID.E.

Jerdon, B. I. i, p. 271 ; Blanford, J. A. S. B. xli, i)t. 2, p. L^o ;
Godw.-Aust. J. A. S. B. xliii, pt. 2, p. 154; Hume, Cat. no. 156;
id. S. F. xi, p. 57.
Dendrocopus cathpbarius, Hargitt, Cat. B. M. xviii, p. 223 ; Oates
in Hume^s N. ^' E. 2ud ed. ii, p. 302.

The Lesser Black Woodpeclcer, Jerdon.

Coloration. Male. Upper parts glossy black with the following
exceptions : — the forehead is brownish white, the ends of the nasal
bristles being black ; the occiput, nape, and sides of the neck are
crimson, and some of the innermost greater and median coverts
are in great part white ; quills black, with white spots on both
webs and generally a spot at the tip ; inner w-ebs of primaries
unspotted near the tip ; tail-feathers black, the two median pairs
unspotted, the remainder more or less barred with buff; sides of
head huffy white ; chin the same with some black mixed, a black
malar band from lower mandible below ear-coverts and red of the
neck to side of breast ; throat uniform light brown, remainder of
lower parts isabelline with longitudinal black streaks, that are
broadest and most marked on the breast ; feathers in middle
of breast and under tail-coverts sometimes tipped with red ; under
wing-coverts black and white, axillaries «'hite.

The female has no red on the nape, but there is some on the
sides of the neck, it is, ho\^ever, fainter than in the male ; rufous
gorget generally faint or wanting.

Bill bluish white; irides brown ; legs plumbeous {Jerdon).

Length 7 ; tail 2-7 ; wing 4 ; tarsus "7 ; bill from gape '75.
This species is very similar to D. darjilensis, but much smaller.

Distrihution. Eastern Himalayas ; not rare in ISikhim, Avhere the
range in elevation is similar to that of D. darjilensis, and extending
into Nepal. This Woodpecker has only once been recorded from
any locality out of the Himalayas ; a single specimen was obtained
by Godwin-Austen in the Xtiga hills.

Habits, 4'c. The eggs, which are pure white and fairly glossy, and
measure about '77 by '61, are laid in April, as usual in a hole
•excavated in a tree.

966. Dendrocopus pyrrhothorax. The lled-hreasted Pied
Woodpeclcer.

Picus cathpharius, apud Godic.-Aust. J. A. S. B. xliii, pt. 2, p. 154.
Picus pyrrhothorax, Hume, S. F. x, p. 150 ; xi, p. 57.
Dendrocopus pyrrhothorax, Hargitt, Cat. B. 31. xviii, p. 224,
pi. iv.

Khupi-woi-ru, Anghami Naga.

This only differs from D. cathpharius in having a distinct broad
crimson gorget on the breast, and the under tail-coverts much more
deeply tinged with red. The other differences prove to be merely
individual. It was supposed from the only pair originally de-
scribed that the sexes were alike and that both had the occiput

DEISTDROCOPUS. 39

•onrason, but a female in Col. Godwin-Austen's possession from the
same locality as the types has the occiput black as in D. cathpharius.

There appears to be a passage from true catlipliarius into the
present form, some specimens of the former from Sikhim and
Bhutan having a considerable amount of red on the breast.

Bill leaden dusky, paler at base of lower mandible ; irides lac-
red ; legs and feet dull sap-green in the male, dusky lavender in
the female (Nume).

Size rather less than that of B. catlipliarius. Length 6'8 ;
tail 2-6 ; wing 3*8 ; tarsus 'Go ; bill from gape '8.

Distribution. Mr. Hume obtained two specimens (the types) at
xiimole, in the Eastern Manipur hills. Col. Godwin-Austen also
obtained a specimen at Aimole and two others in the Anghdmi
Naga hills. Xo others are known to me.

967. Dendrocopus macii. The Fulvous-hreasted Pied Woodpecker.

Picus niacei, Vieill. Nouv. Diet. d'Hist. Nat. xxvi, p. SO (1818) ; Gray,

in Hardw. III. Ind. Znol. i, pi. xxxii ; Blyth, J. A. S. B. xiv, p. 196 ;

id. Cat. p. 02 ; Karsf. 4" M. Cat. ii, p. 672 ; Jerdon, B. 1. i, p. 272;

id. Ibis, 1872, p. 7: Blyth, Ibis, 1866, p. .'354; Layard, Ibis, 1868,

p. 249; Godw.-Aust. J. A. S. B. xxxix, pt. 2, p. 97; xlv, p. 70;

xlvii, p. 22 ; Blanf. J.A.S. B. xli, pt. 2, p. loo ; Cock ^ C. H. T.

Marsh. S. F. i, p. 350 ; Hume S( Dav. S. F. vi, p. 123 ; Cripps, S. F.

vii, p. 261 ; Hume, Cat. no. 157 ; Scully, S.F. viii, p. 245; Inqlis,

S. F. ix, p. 247 ; Hume, S. F. xi, p. 57'; Oates, B. B. ii, p. 3.3".
Picus westermani, Blyth, Ibis, 1870, p. 163-; Hume, S. F. iii, p. 411 ;

id. Cat. no. ? 157 quint.
Dendrotypes macei, Blyth ^ Wald. Birds Burm. p. 77.
Dendrocopus macii, Harqitt, Cat. B. M. xviii, p. 260 ; Oates in Hume's

i\^. i^-^. 2nded. ii, p.'30.3.

The Indian Spotted Woodpecker, Jerdon.

Coloration. Male. Nasal plumes black towards the tips ; narx'ow
forehead brownish buif ; crown and occiput crimson; sides of
head and neck, including lores, supercilia, and ear-coverts, brownish
white ; a black stripe from the lower mandible to each side of the
neck not joined to the black of the dorsal region ; hind neck,
upper back, and upper tail-coverts uniform black ; remainder of
upper parts barred black and white ; wings and their coverts
black ; median and greater coverts and qnills with white spots,
the latter on both webs ; tail black, the two outer pairs of large
feathers barred with huffy white, and sometimes a few white spots
on the next pair ; chin, throat, and fore neck uniform light rufous
brown ; breast and abdomen isabelline, with black longitudinal
spots on the breast, faint stria? on the abdomen, and bars on the
flanks ; vent and lower tail-coverts bright crimson ; under wing-
coverts and axillaries white, the former barred or spotted with
black.

In the female the crown and occiput are black.

Bill dusky plumbeous, reddish beneath : irides brown ; feet
plumbeous (Jerdon).

40 PICID7E.

Length 7'5 ; tail 3 ; -wdng 4-3 ; tarsus -8 ; bill from gape I'l.

Distribution. Along the base of the Himalayas from near Murree
to Upper Assam, ascending the outer hills to an elevation of 5000
or 6000 feet in the Western Himalayas. This species occurs also
throughout Lower Bengal ; it is common around Calcutta, and
was obtained by Mr. Brooks at Mudhupur in the Sonthal Pergun-
nahs ; it also occiu's in Tipperah and as far south as Akyab, where
it is common, and in Cachar and Manipur, Its occurrence farther
south is doubtful ; it was said by Lord "Walden to have been
obtained by Wardlaw Eamsay in Karennee, but there are no-
specimens in his collections now in the British Museum ; and it
was formerly reported from Tenasserim, the Malay Peninsula, and
Ceylon, but the reports are discredited by later writers.

Habits, Sfc. Breeds in March, April, and May, laying about
three white eggs in a hole in a tree as usual. Eggs measure about
•9 by -67.

968. Dendrocopus atratus. The Stripe-breasted Pied
Woodpecker.

Pious atratus, Blyth, J. A. S. B. xviii, p. 803 (1849) ; xxviii, p. 412 j.

id. Cat. p. 313 ; Hume, S. F. ii, p. 471 ; xi, p. 58 ; id. Cat.

no. 157 quat. ; Walden, Ibis, 1876, p. 343, pi. ix ; Godw.-Aust.

J. A. S. B. xlv, pt. 2, p. 193 ; Hume S^ Dav. S. F. vi, pp. 123,.

500 ; Oaf.es, B. B. ii, p. 34 ; Salvad. Ann. Mus. Civ. Gen, (2 a) v,.

p. 564 ; vii, p. 378.
Dendrotypes atratus, Blyth S^ Wald. Birds Burm. p. 77.
Dendrocopus atratus, Hargitt, Cat. B. M. xviii, p. 263.

{Similar to D. macii, except that the sides of the head and neck
are purer white, and that all the lower parts except the chin are-
boldly streaked longitudinally with black, the breast especially ;
the abdomen, too, is yellower.

Upper mandible dull black, dark brown, or horny brown ; lower
mandible pale plumbeous or bluish white; irides light wood tO'
deep brown ; legs and feet dark plumbeous (Davison).

Length 8*25 ; tail 3 : wing 4-75 ; tarsus '8 ; bill from gape 1*2.

Distribution. Manipur ; Karennee and Tenasserim hills as far
south as Muleyit, east of Moulmein, also Laos. Only found on
hills, and not below about 3000 feet elevation.

969. Dendrocopus auriceps. The Br oivn-f routed Pied
Woodpecker.

Picus auriceps, Vigors, P. Z. S. 1831, p. 44 (published Apr. 6, 1831).
Pious brunnifrons, Vigors, P. Z. S. 1831, p. 176 (Mar. 2, 1832);

Blyth, Cat. p. 62 ; Jerdon, ibis, 1872, p. 7.
Leiopicus brunnifrons, Horsf. *.^" M. Cat. ii, p. 074.
Picus brunneifrons, Jerdon, B. I. i, p. 273; iStoliczka, J. A. S. B^

xxxvii, pt. 2, p. 20; Beavan, Ibis, 1869, p. 412; Hume. Cat,

no. 159; C. H. T. Marshall, Ibis, 1884, p. 410.

UEXDROC'OPUS, 41

Dryobates bruuneifrons, Tytler, Ibis, 1868, p. 202.
Picus incogiiitus, Scully, S. i*'. viii, p. 246.

Dendrocopus brunneifrons, Hnvyitt, Cat. B. M. xviii, p. 264 ; Oates
in Humes N. i^- E. 2nd ed. ii, p. 804 ; Shirpe, Yark. Miss., Aves,
p. 110.
The Brown-fronted Woodpecker, Jerdon.

Coloration. Male. Forehead and crown umber-brown ; occipital
crest golden yellow in front and crimson behind ; sides of the
head and neck and the chin white finely mixed with black ; ear-
coverts very pale brown ; a brown malar band on each side passing
into a broad black stripe that breaks up into black spots on the
sides of the neck ; upper parts from the nape, wings, and tail as
in D. macii • lower parts, from throat to abdomen inclusive,
fulvescent white, longitudinally streaked with black, middle of
abdomen tinged with yellow ; lower abdomen and under tail-coverts
pale crimson ; under wing-coverts white with black spots.

T\iQ female has no golden yellow nor red on the occiput, which
is, however, much yellower than the crown.

Base of lower mandible pale plumbeous, rest of bill bluish horny
brown ; irides deep brown ; legs and feet pale glaucous green
(Bavison) ; irides crimson (jSculhj).

Length 8 ; tail 8-3 ; wing 4-6 ; tarsus -S ; bill from gape 1.

Distribution. Throughout the Western Himalayas as far east as
Nepal, chiefly between 2000 and 6000 feet but sometimes as high
as 9000. This species has been found in Northern Afghanistan,
Hazara (Agror), and Kashmir, and is common about several hill-
stations.

Habits, cf'c. D. auriceps is said to come into gardens, and to
have a soft rolling whistle. It breeds in April and the first half
of May, chiefly in oak and fir-trees, making holes sometimes
in the stems, sometimes in branches, at varying heights from
the ground, and laying 4 or 5 white eggs that measure about -92
by -68.

970. Dendrocopus pectoralis. The Spotted-breasted Pied
Woodpecl-er.

Picus pectoralis, Blyth, J. A. S. B. xv, p. 15 (1846) ; xviii, p. 804 :
id. Cat. p. 63.

Picus analis, Temm. Horsjield, Res. JavM (1824), descr. nulla ;
Bonap. Consp. Av. p. 137 (1850) ; Horsf. ^- M. Cat. ii, p. 672 :
Jerdon, Ibis, 1872, p. 7 ; Hume Sr Gates, S. F. iii, p. 57 ; Arm-
strony, S. F. iv, p. 309 ; Hume ^- Dav. S. F. vi, p. 123 ; Hume,
Cat. no. 157 ter ; Oates, S. F. x, p. 190 ; id. B. B. ii, p. 35.

Dendrotypes analis, Cab. S^- H. Mu.^. Hein. iv, 2, p. 47 ; Walden,\Ibis,
1875, p. 463 ; Blyth S,- Wald. Birds Burm. p. 78.

Dendrocopus analis, Haryitt, Cat. B. M. xviii, p. 266.

Coloration. Male. Forehead brownish white ; nasal plumes
partly black ; crown crimson ; sides of face and neck white, the

42 piciD.^.

latter with a few black specks; ear-coverts brownish; a black malar
band on each side from the base of the lower mandible to the side
of the neck ; nape and hind neck black, all the rest of the upper
plumage barred black and white ; quills brownish black, with large
white spots on both webs ; all the tail-feathers barred black and
fuh'escent white ; chin and throat white ; breast and abdomen
brownish ^^•hite, the former distinctly spotted, the latter indis-
tinctly; flanks barred brown and whitish; vent and under tail-
coverts spotted w ith brown and faintly tinged with pink.

In the female the crown is black.

Bill bluish black, paler at the base ; iris brown ; legs and feet
plumbeous (Oates).

Length 7 ; tail 2-5 ; wing 4-1 ; tarsus '7 ; bill from gape 1*0.

Distribution. Locally distributed in Pegu ; common near Thayet
Myo, rare to the southward, though this species has been procured
near Rangoon. It has been found at Toungngoo and in Karennee,
but nowhere in Tenasserim. Outside Indian limits it occurs in
Siara, Cochin China, Malacca, Sumatra, Java, and some other
islands.

Hahits, S,-c. This Woodpecker according to Gates frequents brush-
wood and thin tree-jungle, but not heavy forest. The eggs have
not been recorded.

971. Dendrocopus andamanensis. The Andaman Pied
Woodpecker.

p. 187 ; id. Cat. uo. 1-57 bis.
Dendrocopus audamaneusis, Hargitt, Cat. B. M. xviii, p. 267.

Very similar to D. jJectoralis, especially above, except that on
the crown and occiput the feathers are dark grey, tipped with
crimson in the male, with bro^^Tl in the female, the red in the male
extending farther back than in I), pectoralls ; the present species is
also distinguished by the greater prevalence of black, the white
bars on the back being narrower, and the white spots on the wing-
feathers smaller, whilst the tail-feathers are spotted with white on
both webs, not completely banded ; the malar band is broken into
spots near the mandible ; below, the difference from B. pectoralis is
greater, as the breast is nearly covered with large spots, the breast-
feathers being blackish brown with whitish edges ; the abdomen is
light fulvous brown; the flanks paler and barred with dark brow-n;
lower abdomen and under tail-coverts crimson ; under wing-
coverts barred.

Bill dark slate-colour, darkest on upper mandible; iris dark
brown; legs and feet dark olive-green (W. Bamsaij).

Length 7 ; tail 2*7 ; wing 3-8 ; tarsus -7 ; bill from gape '9.

Distribution. The Andaman Islands.

Liopicus. 43

Genus LIOPICUS, Bonaparte, 1854.

This genus closely resembles Dendrocopus, but has a more
rounded wing, the primaries exceeding the secondaries by less
than the length of the culuien. A small occipital crest is present.
The upper plumage is black, spotted not barred with white.

Only one species is known, and this is peculiar, or nearly so, to
the Indian area.

97'2. Liopicus malirattensis. The Yelloiv-fronted Pied
Woodjpeclcer.

Picus mahrattensis, Lath. Ind. Orn. Suppl. p. xxxi (1801) ; Gray in
Ilardiv. III. Ind. Zool. i, pi. xxxiii ; Blyth, Cat. p. 62 ; Jerdon
B. I. \, p. 274 ; Kimj, J. A. S. B. xxxvii, pt. 2, p. 214 ; Blanford
J. A. S. B. xxxviii, pt. 2, p. 168 ; Stoliczka, J. A. S. B. xli, pt. 2
p. 232 ; Holdsworth, P. Z. IS. 1872, p. 426 ; Adam, S. F. i, p. 373
Ball, S. F. ii, p. 390 ; Hume Sf Gates, S. F. iii, p. 58 ; Blanford.
8. F. V, p. 245 ; Murray, S. F. vii, p. Ill ; Butler, ib. p. 181 '
Ball, ib. p. 205 ; Hume, Cat. no. 160 ; Lcgye, Birds Ceyl. p. 184
Vidal, S. F. ix, p. 52 ; Butler, ib. p. 385 ; Reid, S. F. x, p. 24
Davidso7i, ib. p. 207 ; Dadsoti, ib. p. 354 ; Oates, B. B. ii, p. 37
C.H. T. Marshall, Ibis, 1884, p. 410 ; Barnes, Birds Bom. p. 112.

Picus aiu'ocristatus, Tickell, J. A. S. B. ii, p. 579 (1833).

Leiopicus mahrattensis, Bonap. Consp. Volucr. Zyyod. p. 8 ; Horsf. ^
M. Cat. ii, p. 674.

Lioi)ipo mahrattensis, Cab. <^' H. Mus. Hei?i. iv (2), p. 44 ; Blyth i^-
Wald. Birds Burm. p. 78.

Picas blanfordi, Blyth, J. A. S. B. xxxii, p. 75 (1863).

Liopicus mahrattensis, Hargitt, Cat. B. M. xviii, p. 290 ; Oates in
Hume's N. ^ E. 2nd ed. ii, p. 305.

Coloration. Male. Nasal plumes, forehead, and sinciput pale
brownish yellow, occiput scarlet, sides of face and neck white,
ear-coverts with a brownish tinge ; nape and hind neck smoky
brown ; back and scapulars brownish black and white mixed, not
in bars nor distinct spots ; greater and median coverts black with
large white spots ; smaller coverts black ; rump and upper tail-
coverts white, the feathers with broad dark shaft-stripes, which
are generally concealed on the former but not on the latter ; quills
and tail-feathers spotted white on both A\ebs, the spots on the
latter white above, fulvescent below, and sometimes forming bars
on the outer tail-feathers ; chin, throat, and fore neck white ; no
malar band, but a broad brown stripe runs from beneath the ear-
coverts on each side to the side of the breast and then breaks up
into brown longitudinal streaks ; breast, flanks, and under tail-
coverts streaked with brown ; middle of abdomen bright scarlet.

In the female the whole forehead, crown, and occiput are pale
dull brownish yellow.

Bill clear plumbeous, darker on the culmen and tip of both
mandibles ; irides deep red ; legs and feet bright plumbeous ; claws
horny blue {Oates).

44 FICIiiJE.

Length 7 ; tail 2'6 ; wing 4 ; tarsus •& ; bill from gape 1 to 1*2,
The bill is generally shorter in females.

Distribution. Generally spread, but only common locally, through-
out the Peninsula of India and A^orthern Ceylon from the sea-
level to about 2500 feet, or higher in places, and found at low
elevations in the valleys of the Western Himalayas, but only out-
side the base of the Eastern. Rare in the Western Punjab, Sind,
and Kajputana ; not found in Southern Ceylon, Lower or Eastern
Bengal, Assam, Cachar, or Arrakan, but reappearing in the dry
parts of Upper Burma, being common about Thayet Myo and
farther north, and at Toungngoo. Also obtained in Cochin
China.

Habits, 6fc. This is chiefly an inhabitant of low jungle and scrub,
not of thick forest. It is often seen on Palas {But ea frondosa), and
on species of Acacia and EujiJiorhia. It breeds in February, March,
and April, and lays usually three white eggs measuring about '87
by 'SS. The nest is the usual hole, generally in a dead trunk or
branch.

The variety called P. blanfordi by Blyth inhabits Upper Burma,
and has the white markings of the upper plumage more developed,
especially on the wings and tail. Similar birds are found in
North-western India.

Genus lYNGIPICUS, Bonaparte, 1854.

This is but little more than a small form of Bendi'ocopus, distin-
guished by a rather more pointed wing and a shorter tail. The
primaries greatly exceed the secondaries in length ; the first pri-
mary is quite small, and the second is only exceeded in length by
the third, fourth, and fifth, which are subequal. The coloration
above is black or brown, with white cross-bars ; beneath brownish
white with, almost always, longitudinal brown or black streaks.

lyngipicus ranges throughout the Oriental region, and one
species is found in Africa. Eive closely allied species or geogra-
phical races are found a\ ithin Indian limits.

Key to the Species.

a. Upper tail-coverts and median rectrices

entirely black.

«'. Whole occiput red iu males /. semicoronatus, p. 45.

V . A red stripe on each side of occiput

in males I. pygmceus, p. 45.

b. Upper tail-coverts fringed and banded

with white ; median tail-feathers
generally spotted white.

c' . Crown ashy grey /. canicapil/ifs, p. 46.

d'. Crown light brown, lower parts

striated /. hanhvickii, p. 47.

e . Crown blackisli brown, lower parts

plain I. gymnophtlialmiis, p. 48,

I

ITNGIPICUS. 4.")

973. lyngipicus semicoronatus. Tlie Darjeeling Pigmy
I Voodpechtr.

Picus semicoronatus, Malherbe, Bull. Soc. d^Mist. Nat. Moselle, v,
p. 21 (1848) ; id. Picidce, i, p. 148, pi. xxxiv, fi<?. 8.

Picus rubricatus, Blytk, J. A. S. B. xviii, p. 804 f 1849) ; id. Cat.
p. 63.

Picus meniscus, Malh. Picidce, i, p. 151, pi. xxxv, %s. 2, 3, 4 (1861).

Yungipicus rubricatus, Jerdon, B. I. i, p. 276 ; Godw.-Aust. J. A. S. B.
xxxix, pt. 2, p. 97 ; Jerdon, Ibis, 1872, p. 8 ; Hume, &'. F. iii, p. 60 :
id. Cat. no. 162 ; Anderson, Yunnan Exped., Aves, p. 585.

lyngipicus semicoronatus, Hnrf/itt, Ibis, 1882, p. 25 ; id. Cat. B. M.
xviii, p. 312 ; Hume, >S. F. xi, p. 59.

Coloration. Male. Forehead and crowu ashy with a brownish
tinge, occiput scarlet (feathers .sHghtly elongated) ; nasal plumes
and lores fulvescent white ; broad superciliary stripe extendin"-
back to the side of the neck white, speckled with black, a black
line forming a border to the crown above the supercilium, and a
brown band, becoming black behind, from the eye to the side of
the neck over the lower ear-coverts ; nape and upper back and
the upper tail-coverts velvety black ; remainder of back, rump,
scapulars, and wings black with white transverse bars ; quills with
white spots on both webs, greater and median coverts with white
spots or bars, smaller coverts unspotted ; the two middle pairs of
tail-feathers black throughout as a rule, the two outer large pairs
black barred with white above and with fulvescent below, third
pair from the middle varying but generally bordered with white ;
malar region dusky, chin and throat whitish ; under surface from
throat very light fulvescent brown, with narrow blackish longitu-
dinal streaks ; under wing-coverts and axillaries mixed white and
black.

The female has no occipital red band.

Occasionally there are white markings on the upper tail-coverts
and small white spots on the median tail-feathers, but this is
exceptional. The same occurs in other species of lyngipicus, in
which the feathers mentioned are normally black throughout.
Bill plumbeous ; irides red ; feet brown {Jerdon).
Length 5*5 ; tail 2 ; wing 3-3 ; tarsus -6; bill from gape 'OS.
Distribution. Sikhim, Bhutan, the Ivhasi and Naga hills. Eastern
Manipur, and Yunnan at elevations above about 3500 feet.

974. lyngipicus pygmaeus. The Himalayan Pigmy Woodpecl-er.

Picus pygmaeus. Vigors, P.Z.S. 1831, p. 44; Blijth, J. A. S. B.

xiv, p. 197 (partim) ; id. Cat. p. 63.
Picus mitchellii, Malh. Rev. May. Zool. 1849, p. 530,
Yungipicus pygmagus, Horsf. Sf M. Cat. p. 676 ; Jerdon, B, I. i,

p. 277 ; Hu7ne, S. F. iii, p. 60 ; id. Cat. no. 163 ; Scully, S. F.

viii, p. 247.
lyngipicus pygmaeus, Haryitt, Ibis, 1882, p. 30; id. Cat. B. M.

xviii, p. 315 ; Oates in Hwne's N. Sf E. 2nd ed. ii, p. 306.

46 piciD.i:.

The only important distinction from /. semicoronatus is that in
the male of the present species there is no red band across the
occiput, but merely a few scarlet feathers forming a short, very
narrow, longitudinal stripe bordering the occiput on each side.
There is no constant difference in the females, but as a rule the
dimensions of I. pygmcnis are rather larger, and the white bands
and spots on the upper surface are more developed.

Bill grey horny ; irides dark red ; feet dingy green (Scully).

Leugth 5*6 ; tail 2"1 ; wing 3-5 ; tarsus -65 ; bill from gape 'T.

Distribution. Forests of the base and lower valleys of the Westei'u
Himalayas from around Katmandu in Nepal to Mussooree.

Hahits, 4'c. According to Mr. E. Thompson this Pigmy Wood-
pecker breeds in the deuse forest districts of the bhabar and lower
valleys of Ivumaun in April and May, laying 4 or 5 eggs. The
birds migrate into cultivated districts in winter.

975. lyngipicus canicapillus. The Burmese Pi(jrinj Woodpecl-er.

Pious cauicapillus, Bhjth, J. A. S. B. xiv, p. 197 (1845) ; xvi, p. 467 :

xviii, p. 805 ; id. Cat. p. 64 ; Oates, B. B. \i, p. 36.
Yungipicus canicapillus, Homf. S)- M. Cat. ii, p. 677 ; Blyth^- Wald.

Birds Burm. p. 78 ; Hume ^- Oates, S. F. \\\, p. 59 ; Armstrony,

S. F. iv, p. 309 ; Hume 8f Inglis, S. F. \, p. 25 ; Hume ^- Dav.

S. F. vi, pp. 125, 500 ; Hume, Cat. no. 163 bis.
lyngipicus pumihis, Haryitt, Ibis, 1881, p. 699, 1882, p. 37 ; id. Cat.

B. M. xviii, p. 321 ; Salvadm, Ann. Mus. Civ. Gen. (2 a) \, p. 565 :

vii, p. 432.
Pious pumilus, Oates, B. B. ii, p. 37.
lyngipicus canicapillus, Haryitt, Ibis, 1882, p. 39 ; id. Cat. B. M.

xviii, p. 322 ; Sulvadori, Ann. Mus. Civ. Gen. (2 a) iv, p. 578 ;

Hume, S. F. xi, p. 60.

Precisely like /. pyymcnis except that the upper tail-coverts are
banded and fringed with white, and that as a rule all the tail-
feathers are spotted or banded with white above and fulvous
below ; sometimes, however, the two median pairs are unspotted.
The lower parts in general are paler in tint in I. canicainllus, the
streak behind the eye darker brown and broader, but these dis-
tinctions cannot be depended on. Two red streaks border the
occiput, one on each side, in males, as in I. pyymceus.

Upper mandible horny brown, lower plumbeous; irides red-
brown ; legs, feet, and claws plumbeous (Davison).

Length 5-5 ; tail 1*8 ; wing 3'25 ; tarsus '6 ; bill from gape "75,

Distrihution. Throughout Burma, ranging north to Tipperah,
Cachar, and Manipur, and probably to the ranges south of the
Assam valley, and extending to the south throughout the Malay
Peninsula, from the sea-level to about 5000 feet elevation.

Habits, Sfc. Brushwood, low or thin tree-jungle, groves in culti-
vation, or old clearings are the usual haunts of this bird, which
is often seen on the smaller branches of trees. It is but seldom

lYNGIPICUS. 47

met with in thick jungle or on bamboos. The nest has not been
observed.

I cannot separate from the present species /. immilus, which is
said to be distinguished by smaller size and by having the four
middle tail-feathers without spots. Many specimens of /. cani-
cajiillus have unspotted or almost unspotted median rectrices, and
I find that the wings of seven specimens in the British Museum,
marked as adults of /. pumilus, from Pegu and Tenasserim,
measure fi'om 3 to 3-15 inches, which is well within the limits of
variation for /. canicapillus, as may be seen by Hume's measiu"e-
ments (S. F. vi, p. 126).

976. lyngipicus hardwickii. The Indian Plgm)/ Woodpecler.

Pious (Dendrocopus) hardwickii, Jenlon, Madr. Jour, L. S. xiii.

pt. 2, p. 138 (1844).
Pious cinereigula, Malh. Itev. et Mmj. Zool. 1849, p. 531.
Pious variegatus, apud Blyth, Cat. p. 64 (nee JVar/ler).
Yungipicus hardwickii, Jerdon, B. I. i, p. 278 ; id. IJns, 1872, p. 8 ;

Blanf. J. A. S. B. xxxviii, pt. 2, p. 168; McMaster, J. A. S. B.

xl, pt. 2, p. 209 ; Hume, S. F. iii, p. 458 ; iv, p. 36 ; Fairbank,

S. F. iv, pp. 255, 265.
Yungipicus nanus, apitd Ball, S. F. ii, p. 390; vii, p. 205 ; Hume,

S. F. iii, p. 60 ; id. Cat. no. 164 ; Vidal, S. F. ix, p. 52 ; Butler,

ib. p. 385 ; Davidson, S. F. x, p. 297 ; Barnes, Birds Bom. p. 113 ;

Littledale, Jour. Bomb. N. H. Soc. i, p. 197 (nee Viyors).
lyngipicus nanus, Beid, S. F. x, p. 24.
lyngipicus hardwickii, Haryitt, Ibis, 1882, p. 45 ; id. Cat. B. M.

xviii, p. 328 ; Oates in Hume's N. Sf E. 2nd ed. ii, p. 306.
The Southern Pigmy Woodpecker, Jerdon; Chitt.a siruti 2Mchi, Teh

Fig. 13. — Head of /. hardwickii.

Coloration. Male. Forehead and crown light umber-brown,
nape darker ; no dark border at the side of the crown but a narrow
scarlet streak on each side of the occiput ; lores and some of the
nasal plumes brownish white ; a white stripe from above the eye to
the side of the neck ; a broad umber-brown band from the eye over
the ear-coverts, and a second white stripe beneath the brown
band ; upper parts from nape dark brown with white cross-bands,
rump and upper tail-coverts mostly w^hite ; quills, greater and

48 piciD.i;.

median coverts with white spots, smaller coverts unspotted ; all tail-
feathers with spots on both w-ebs white above, fulvous below ; malar
region and chin gi'ey, the feathers tipjied white but the ashy bases
showing; remahider of lower parts brownisli white with brown
longitudinal streaks.

The female wants the occipital scarlet streaks.

Bill and legs plumbeous ; orbital skin lake ; irides pale yellow
{.Terdon).

Length 5 ; tail 1'7 ; wing 3 ; tarsus -55 ; bill from gape -65.

Distrihution. The greater part of the Indian Peninsida, from
the base of the N.W. Himalayas to Mysore, and from Mount Abu
to Chutia Nagpur, wanting in the open plains of Eajputaua, the
Deccan, &c. The Southern forms from the Western Ghats near
Belgaum and from Mysore have darker heads, and thus show a
passage towards I. gymnoplitlialmus.

Habits, 6)'c. This Woodpecker is found chiefly in forest, but also
in groves and gardens in well-wooded districts, and is frequently
seen in parties of three or four, on the stems and branches of trees,
o-enerally climbing, but sometimes, as Jerdon observes, perching,
and hopping from bough to bough. It breeds in the N.W. Pro-
vinces in March ; its nest-hole has been several times recorded in a
dead branch of a mango-tree, also in siris {Acacia catechu), and
the eggs, usually 3 or 4 in number, are white and somewhat
spherical, and measiu-e about •? by b'2.

977. lyngipicus gymnophthalmus. The Ceylon Pigmy
Woodpeclcer.

Pious gymnophthaliuos, Blyth, J. A. S. B. xviii, p. 804 (1849) ; id.

Cat. p. 64 ; Laxjard, A. M. N. H. (2) xiii, p. 448 (1854).
YuDgipiciis gymnophthalmus, Jerdon, Ibis, 1872, p. 8; Holdsioorth,

P. Z. S. 1872, p. 427 ; Legye, S. F. i, p. 433 ; id. Birds Ceyl

p. 186 ; Hume, S. F. iii, p. 60 ; id. Cat. no. 164 bis ; Hume ^

Bourdillon, S. F. iv, p. 389 ; Fairbank, S. F. v, p. 396 ; Dainson,

S. F. X, p. 354 ; Parker, Ibis, 1886, p. 183.
lyngipicus gymnophthalmus, Haryitt, Ibis, 1882, p. 47 ; id. Cat. B.

M. xviii, p. 330 ; Oates in Hume's N. 8f E. ii, p. 308.
lyngipicus ])eninsularis, Haryitt, Ibis, 1882, p. 48 ; id. Cat. B. M.

xviii, p. 331.

Coloration. Very similar to that of /. hardvncMi, but mucli
darker above and almost or quite streakless beneath in adults.
Head above and stripe behind eye blackish sepia-brown. Upper
parts dark brown with white cross-bars. Long supercilium ex-
tending to neck, cheeks below eye-stripe, chin, and throat white ;
no malar stripe ; lower parts unstriped, sullied white in adults,
and faintly streaked in the young ; flanks generally streaked in
all, and lower tail-coverts with dark shaft-stripes. There are
the usual scarlet occipital stripes in males ; the white spots are
often small and sometimes ^'anting on the outer webs of the
nrimaries.

PTEEHOPICUS. 49

Bill brownish olivaceous, somewhat paler beneath ; iris white,
greyish white, yellowish white, or reddish white ; eyelid and orbital
skin dull mauve or purplish ; legs and feet greenish plumbeous
{Legge).

Length 4*8 ; tail 1'6 ; wing 2-9 ; tarsus '55 ; bill from gape •65.

Distribution. Throughout Ceylon up to about 3u00 feet above
the sea, also the Malabar coast and the ranges near it as far north
as the Palui hills, and perhaps farther. Malabar specimens have
the heads rather paler than Ceylonese, and are the race called
I. peninsular is by Hargitt, and the specimens thus labelled by him
in the British Museum include the Malabar skins of /. ggmno-
phthalmus and the Belgaum and Mysore specimens already men-
tioned of /. hardiuiclii. There is evidently in this, as in many
similar cases, a passage between two well-marked forms.

Habits, 4'<-'. Similar to those of other lyngipici. This bird is
thoroughly arboreal and frequents the uppermost branches of trees,
picking up small insects, and often perching. It has considerable
powers of flight, and its note, accordhig to Legge, is a prolonged
trill. It breeds in February and March, and also in July, nesting
in holes in small branches, and the white eggs measure about -62
by -53 *.

Genus PYRRHOPICUS, Malherbe, 1861.

Bill long and stout, culmen angulate, almost straight ; nasal
ridge strongly developed, nearer to the culmen than to the com-
missure at the base of the bill ; nostrils open, not concealed by
plumes; chin-angle nearly halfway from gape to tip of bill; no
crest. "Wings rounded, primaries scarcely exceeding secondaries

* Iyngipicus nanus.
? Picus nanus, Vigors, P. Z. S. 1831, p. 172 (1832).

Iyngipicus nanus, Hargitt, Ibis, 1882, p. 38 ; id. Cat. B. M. xviii, p. 327 ;
Gould, B. Asia, vi, pi. xxxiv.

Coloration. Crown and eye-stripe dark brown, nape very dark ; supercilium
extending to neck and a band beljw tlie eye-stripe waite ; upper parts dark
brown with white cross-bauds ; all tail-feathers spotted, the spots on the outer
webs of the primaries small ; chin and throat pure white, bordered on each side
by a brown malar stripe ; rest of lower parts sullied white with indistinct
rather broad brown streaks. Male with, as usual, a red streak on each side of
the occiput.

Wing 3'05 inches; tail TG; tarsus '65 ; bill from gape •7.

Distribution. Three specimens collected by Captain Stackhouse Pinwill, one
at Dharmsala, the other two in North-western India, are in the British Museum,
and have been referred by Hargitt to Vigors's species, which was said to be from
the N.W. Himalayas, and with the description of which they agree fairly. At
the same time they are, as Hargitt points out, only just separable from the
Malay /. auritus, and it is difficult to believe that all the ornithologists who have
ransacked the N.W. Himalayas of late years can hive overlooked this bird,
which is easily distinguished from /. lyygmcBus and /. hardwickii, if it inhabits
the area.

YOL. III. E

50 PICIDiE.

in length ; tail short ; outer pair of tail-feathers longer than the
coverts ; first toe well-developed ; fourth (or reversible) toe a
little longer than third. Colour bay above more or less banded
with black, very dark brown beneath, a partial red collar in
males.

Only two species are known.

Key to the Species,

Larp^er : wing .5*75 ; back barred P. pyrrhotis, p. 50.

Smaller: wing 4-8 ; back not barred P. rubiyinosus, p. 51.

The oldest name for this genus, Venilia (of which the type
appears to have been V. porplujromelas, Bp. Consp. i, p. 128) can-
not be used, asith:.d previously been employed in both Lepidoptera
and MoUusca. L(pocestes of Cabanis (1863) has been adopted by
Hargitt, but Pyrrhopicus and Plinthopicus of Malherbe date from
1861, and I accept the first. Bhjthipicus of Bonaparte (1854) is
generally regarded as too absurd a term to be admitted.

978. Pyrrhopicus pyrrhotis. The Red-eared Bay Woodpecker,

Picus pyrrhotis, Hodys. J. A. S. B. vi, p. 108 (1837).

Gecinus pyrrhotis, Blyth, Cat. p. 59.

Blvtliipicus pyrrhotis, Bo7iap. Consjj. Valuer . Zygod. p. 9 ; Hume,
S. F. vii, p. 520 ; xi, p. 63 ; id. Cat. no. 176.

"Veniha pyrrhotis, Horsf. ^ M, Cat. ii, p. 666; Jerdon, B. I. i,p. 291
Godtv.-Aust. J. A. S. B. xliii, pt. 2, p. 155 ; xlv, pt. 2, p. 70
Walden in BlytKs Birds Burm. p. 77 ; Inylis, S. F. v, p. 26
Htime ^ Dav. S. F. vi, p. 142 ; Gates, B. B. ii, p. 39.

Lepocestes pyrrhotis, Haryitt, Cat. B. M. xviii, p. 380.

Fi-ing, Lepcha.

',V7'

-^^^^^

Fig. 14. — Head of P. pyrrhotis.

Coloration. Male. Whole head brown, the forehead, sides of
head, and chin paler : feathers of forehead and crown pale-shafted ;
a bright crimson half-collar behind the ear-coverts extending more
or less completely round the nape ; all upper parts from the nape,
with wing-feathers and coverts, barred rufous and black, the rufous
bars broadest on the quills, back-feathers fringed with deeper red ;

PYERHOPICUS. 51

tail-feathers rufons with black spots, forming imperfect bars, ou
both webs, shafts of quills and tail-feathers light red ; lower parts
from throat olive-brown, reddish on the breast, dusky on the abdo-
men ; a few narrow rufous bands on the lower flanks and nnder
tail-coverts.

The female wants the crimson half-collar. The young have pale
shaft-lines throughout the head and neck, and traces of bars on
the breast and abdomen.

Bill pale greenish yellow ; irides reddish orange to brownish
red ; legs and feet very dark green {Davison).

Length 11"5 ; tail 4; wing 5*75; tarsus 1*1; bill from gape
1-9.

Distribution. From the Eastern Himalayas (Nepal, Sikhim,
Dafla hills) to the Malay Peninsula, throughout Burma and other
intervening countries.

Habits, Sf-c. An inhabitant of dense underwood, keeping very
much to the ground, and rarely ascending a tree unless disturbed.
This bird is generally found in pairs or small parties, is very voci-
ferous and has a loud screeching call. The eggs do not appear to
have been observed.

979. Pyrrhopicus ruhiginosus. The Malay Bay WoodpecJcer.

Hemicircus rubiginosus, Sivainson, Birds W. Afr. ii, p. 150 (1837).
Picus melauogaster, Hay, Madr. Jour. L. S. xiii, pt. 2, p. 1-j3

(1844).
Gecinus rubiginosus, Blyth, Cat. p. 59.
Venilia porphyromelas (Boie),Bonap. Cotisp. i, p. 128; Hume &)• Dav.

S. F. vi, p. 143 ; Oates, B. B. ii, p. 40.
Venilia melanogaster, Horsf. Sf M. Cat. p. 665.
Lepocestes porpbyromelas, Salvad. Ucc. Born. p. 48 ; Hume, S. F.

iii, p. 319 ; Huryitt, Cat. B. M. xviii, p. 382.
Blythipicus porpbyromelas, Hume, S. F. vii, p. 520 ; id. Cat. no. 176

bis.

Coloration. Male. Whole head brown, paler in front all round
the base of the bill ; feathers on each side of the neck behind the
ear-coverts tipped with bright crimson, forming blood-red patches ;
some of the malar feathers tinged red in some specimens ; whole
upper plumage from nape, including the edges of the quills, dull
crimson ; feathers of rump and upper tail-coverts, quills and tail-
feathers very dark brown with narrow bars of pale rufesceut
brown, well marked on outer webs of all wing-feathers, but
except on the tertiaries faint on the inner webs ; lo\At'r plumage
from throat very dark olive-brown, the breast with a reddish
tinge.

The female wants the red patches behind the ears.

Bill chrome-yellow, tinged with green towards the base ; irides
red ; legs and feet dark, varying in shade, generally purplish or
purplish brown {Davison).

Length 9 ; tail 3 ; wing 4'8 ; tarsus '9 ; bill from gape 1*45.

Distribution. Malay Peninsula, extending into Tenasserim as far

e2

52 piciD^.

north as Bopyin, south of Mergui, and also into Sumatra and
Borneo. Common in the extreme south of Tenasserim.

Hahits, 4'c. Like P. p?/*v7to^is, this species is said by Davison to
be very shy and to keep much to the underwood of the evergreen
forests ; it avoids the larger trees, is genei'ally found iu pairs and
utters incessantly a sharp metallic note.

Genus MIGLYPTES, Swainson, 1837.

Bill of moderate length, culmen much curved ; no nasal ridge ;
nostrils round, exposed ; chin-angle halfway between gape and
tip ; fourth or outer hind toe longer than third or outer front toe ;
first toe (hallux) short. A nuchal crest. AVing rounded : all tail-
feathers pointed, the outer pair just extending beyond the lower
coverts. Plumage brown or black and buff, more or less in
jilternating bars.

This genus is restricted to Burma and the Malay countries,
three species being found in British Burma. The coloration is
peculiar and the habits are imperfectly known, the nest not liaAing
hitherto been found.

Key to the Species.

a. Back with buff cross-bauds ; tail-feathers
spotted.
a'. Head barred above ; rump uniform buff. M. grammithora.v, p. 52.
b'. Head not barred above; rump barred

like back M. tukld, p. .53.

h. Back without cross-bands, tail unspotted. M.jugularis, p. -54.

980. Miglyptes grammithorax. The Ftdvons-rumped Barred
Woodpecker.

Meig-lyptes tristis, apiid Bhith, Cat. p. GO; StoUczka, J. A. S. B.

xxxix, pt. 2, p. 294 ; Blyth., Birds Burnt, p. 77 ; Hume ^- Dav.

S. F. vi, pp. 131, 501 ; Hume, Cat. no. 165 ter {7iec Picus tristis,

Horsf.).
Phaiopicus grammithorax, ikfw/^. Picidcs, ii, p. 12, pi. xlviii, figs. 4-6

(1862).
Miulyptes grammitliorax, Nicholson, Ibis, 1879, p. 165; Hume,

S. F. viii, p. 497 ; Oates, B. B. ii, p. 59 ; Hargitt, Ibis, 1884,

p. 191 ; id. Cat. B. M. xviii, p. 385.

Coloration. Male. Lores, anterior half of orbital region, point
of chin, lower back, and rump uniform buff; a malar stripe pale
crimson ; remainder of the bird blackish brown barred with buff,
very closely on the head and neck all round and on the breast,
the barring becoming wider behind and still wider on the abdomen,
but the bars are broader still on the back, scapulars, wing-coverts,
tertiaries, and upper tail-coverts ; wing and tail-feathers with
buff spots on both webs ; under wing-coverts and axillaries buff
with a iew dark brown spots.

MIGLTPTES.

53

FeviiaU. No malar stripe.

Bill black ; irides deep brown or dull red ; edge of eyelids blat-k;
legs and feet dirty green (Davison).

Length 7 ; tail 2 ; wing 3-9 ; tarsus -8 ; bill from gape -9.

Distribution. The Malay Peninsula, Sumatra, and Borneo, ex-
tending north into Tenasserim as far as the base of Nwalabo
mountain, near Tavoy.

Habits, 4-c. As described by Davison, this species^ is_ usually
found in dense tree-jungle, and generally in pairs ; it is never
seen on the ground, but always ou trunks and branches of trees.
The note of all three species of Mighjptes is similar, a rolling
Tcirr-r-r.

The true M. iristis is confined to Java and has the middle
of the breast and abdomen black without bars. Specimens of
M. grammitliorax from Nwalabo, Tenasserim, have the breast and
abdomen brown, almost without bars, but not black.

981. Miglyptes tukki. The Buff-necked Barred Woodpecker.

Picus tukki, Lesson, Rev. Zool. 1839, p. 167.

Hemicercus bnmneus, Uyton, P. Z. S. 1839, p. 106.

Meiglyptes pectoralis, apud Blyth, Cat. p. 60 (iiec Picus pectorahs,

Latham).
Meiglyptes brunneus, Horsf. S,- M. Cat. ii, p. 668.
Meiglyptes marginatus, Meinio., StoUczM, J. A. S. B. xxxix, pt. ^,

p. 291.
Miglyptes tukki, Hnme, S. F. iii, p. 319 ; id. Cat. no. 16o qiunt. ;

Mu7ne Sr Bav. S. F. vi, p. 132 ; Oates, B. B. ii, p. 61 ; Haryitt,

Ibis, 1884, p. 193 ; id. Cat. B. M. xviii, p. 888.

Coloration. Male. Dull dark olive or brownish olive, head
uniform and unbarred above and on the sides ; a crimson malar
band ; a large buif patch on each side of the neck ; back, scapulars,
rump, tail, and wing-coverts with narrow buff cross-bars through-
out ; quills with small marginal buff spots on the outer, and larger
spots on the inner webs; tail-feathers with narrow bars inter-
rupted near the shaft ; chin and throat very finely barred with
buff ; fore neck uniform blackish brown ; breast and abdomen dark
brown with narrow buff bands ; middle of breast almost uniform ;
lower wmg-coverts and top of wing buff.

Female. No crimson malar band.

Upper mandible black, lower mandible plumbeous blue, in some
greenish ; irides brown ; legs and feet dull or brownish green.

Length about 8-6; tail 2-7; wing 4-1; tarsus -9; bill from
gape I'l,

Distribution. The Malay Peninsula, Sumatra, and Borneo,
ranging into the extreme south of Tenasserim.

Habits, 4fc. Very similar to those of the last species, this Wood-
pecker being found in dense forest.

64

PICTDiE.

982. Miglyptes jugularis. The Bhcl-and-Bvff Woodpecker.

Picus (Meiglyptes) jugularis, Blijth, J. A. S. B. xiv, p. 195 (18-4o).
Meigiyptes jug-iilaiis, Blyth, Cat. p. 60 : Horaf. ^- M. Cat. ii, p. 669 ;

Ihnne 8c Gates, 8. F. iii, p. 63 ; Bli/th Sc Wakl. Birds Biirm. p. 77 ;

H/ane ^- Dav. S. F. vi, pp. 132, 501 ; Oafes, B. B. ii, p. 60.
]\Iiglyptes jugularis, Hume, Cat. no. 165 quat. ; Binqlmm, S. F. ix,

p. 16] : Harr/itt, Ibis, 1884, p. 197 ; id. Cat. B. 31. xviii, p. 391.

Fig. 15. — Head of M. jugularis.

Coloration. Male. Black or brownish black, except two large
patches,. ore on each side of the neck, extending round the hind
neck, and forming a demi-collar, the rump, but not the tail-coverts,
a large space on each wing consisting of all the minor coverts
and of the innermost major and median coverts and tertiaries,
the edge of the wing and wing-lining, which are pure buff ; a
malar stripe on each side with the feathers tipped red ; forehead,
ci'own, and sides of head narro\^'ly barred across with buff; chin
black and buff' mixed in small subequal spots ; quills with small
submarginal spots on the outer webs and large spots on the inner,
the latter wanting near the tip and increasing in size near the
base ; a few buff bars on the flanks and thigh-coverts ; tail
uniform.

T\^(i female wants the red malar stripe.

Bill black ; iris dark brown ; eyelids dark plumbeous ; legs dull
bluish, claws horny brown (Oates).

Length 7'5 ; tail 2; wing 4; tarsus "85 ; bill from gape 1.

Distribution . The greater part of Burma (rare in the Arrakan
and Pegu hills, and near Toungngoo, more common in Tenasserim),
as far south as Tavoy ; also Siam and Cochin China.

Habits, 4'c. This Woodpecker is found in high forests, but has
also been observed by Davison in large clearings, open jungle, and
even in bamboo-jungle. It closely resembles Hemicercus canente
in coloration.

Genus MICROPTERNUS, Blyth, 1845.

Bill like that of Miiiljiptes, curved above, without nasal ridge,
but the chin-angle is nearer to the tip than to the gape ; nostrils
rounded nnd exposed ; wing rounded ; tail-feathers pointed, the
outer pair just exceeding the tail-coverts in length ; first toe very

MICROPTEENUS. 55

short, its claw very small, third and fourth toes subequal. Plumage
throughout pale chestnut with black bars, which vary greatly in
development in different species.

The genus Micropternus extends throughout the Oriental region ;
three species, which are merely geographical races, separated by
very slight characters, and tending greatly to pass into each other,
being found within our area. They are birds of veiy singular
habits, having a peculiar, strong, unpleasant smell, and living
chiefly or entirely on tree-ants. Their plumage is almost always
smeared with a gummy substance derived from ants' nests, and
the heads of ants are often found attached to their tail-feathers.
Moreover, they lay their eggs m holes made in the large ants' nests
that are so common in India attached to branches of trees or
bamboos.

Keif to the Species.

a. Central part of pale-edged chin and throat-
feathers of same colour as breast M. phceoceps, p. 55.

h. Central part of chin and throat-feathers darker
than breast.
a . Pale-bordered throat-feathers extend to

malar region , , . . M. brachyurus, p. 57.

b'. Pale-edged throat-feathers do not extend

to malar region M. (jularis, p. 57.

983. Micropternus phaeoceps. The Nortliern Rufous Woodpecker.

Picus rufus, Gray in Hurdiv. III. Ind. Orn. i, pi. xxix, fig. 2 (1830-

32), nee Gmel.
Micropternus phaioceps, Blyth, J. A. S. B. xiv, p. 105 (1845) ; id.

Cat. p. 60 ; Ti/tler, A. M.N. H. (2) xiii, p. 867 (185i) ; Jlorsf. ^

M. Cat. ii, p. 667 ; Jerdon, B. I. i, p. 294 ; Godw.-Aust. J. A. S. B.

xxxix, pt. 2, p. 267 ; xliii, pt. 2, p. 176 ; Ball, S. F. ii, p. 392;

vii, p. 206 ; Hume Sf Oates, S. F. iii, p. 72 ; Blyth ^ Wald. Birds

Burm. p. 77 ; Gammie, S. F. iv, p. 511 ; Hume, S. F. v, p. 480 ;

Hume S,- Dnv. S. F. vi, pp. 145, 501 ; Cripps, S. F. vii, p. 262;

Sculli/, S. F. viii, p. 249.
Phaiopicos blythii, Malherhe, Rev. Mag. Zool. 1849, p. 534.
Meiglyptes ruliuotus, Malh. Bonap. C(msp. \, p. 113 (1850).
Micropternus barmanicus, Hume, P. A. S. B. 1872, p. 71.
Micropternus rufinotus, Godw.-Aust. J. A. S. B. xlv, pt. 2, p. 70.
Micropternus pliteoceps, Hume, Cat. no. 178; id. S. F. ix, p. 112;

xi, p. 64 ; Bingham, S. F. ix, p. 164 ; id. Ibis, 1885, p. 332 : Oates,

B. B. ii, p. 57 ; Salradori, Ann. Mus. Civ. Gen. (2) iv, p. 580 ;

V, p. 568 ; vii, p. 380 ; Hargitt, Ibis, 1885, p. 3 ; id. Cat. B. M.

xviii, p. 393 ; Oates in Humes N. ^ E. 2nd ed. ii, p. 308.

The Bengal Rufous Woodpecker, Jerdon ; Fi-ing, Lepcha.

Coloration. Male. The whole plumage dull rufous (light chest-
nut) ; top of the head and occiput tinged with dusky brown, the
feathers slightly paler at the edges, feathers of the chin and throat
with much more distinct pale edges ; feathers beneath the eye and
for a short distance forwards and backwards tipped with crimson ;
upper parts from the neck and the wing and tail-feathers with black

56 PICID.E.

transverse bars, which sometimes disappear completely on the
back, and are very narrow on the tail-feathers ; lower surface
rather duller in colour than the back, and without black bars
except occasionally on the flanks, thigh- and under tail-coverts.

In females there is no red below the eye. The young generally
have crescentic black or dusky marks on the underparts.

Bill very dark brown, plumbeous at the base of the lower
mandible ; irides brown, eyelids plumbeous ; legs and feet greyish
brown (Oates).

Length 10 ; tail 3 ; wing 5 ; tarsus -95 ; bill from gape 1*25.

Fig. IG.— Head oi M. jphaoceps.

Distrihution. The forests at and near the base of the Himalayas
as far west as Dehra Dun ; the greater part of Bengal and parts
of the forest-region between the Ganges and Godavari, east of the
meridian of 80^ or 82° * ; Assam, Cachar, Manipur, and Burma as
far south as Moulmein ; also Siam, Cambodia, and Cochin China.

Habits, Sfc. A quiet bird, generally silent but far from shy, and
where common, as in parts of Burma, found in both evergreen
and deciduous forest, in bamboo-jungle, and occasionally in culti-
vation. It feeds chiefly on the ants t that form nests in trees, and
has been several times found by Mr. Gammie in Sikhim, and by
Major Bingham in Tenasserim, to make a hole in the middle of
one of these ants' nests, and to lay its eggs in a cup-shaped cavity
in the middle. The eggs, generally three in number, are laid in
April and May : they are thin, fragile, without gloss, and measure
about 1-16 by •!. The ants' nests are well known ; they are a foot
or more in diameter, and are composed of the leaves and twigs of
the tree cemented together by a felt-like substance.

* Barnes in the ' .Birds of Bombay' includes M. -phceoceps, because according
to Jerdon it is tbuud in some of the forests of Central India. The mistake
has been repeatedly made of supposing that Jerdon, by the words ' Central
India,' meant the region so-called at the present day, whereas in the Introduc-
tion to the ' Birds of India,' p. xl, he defined the area, which as understood by
him comprised Chutia Kngpur and the forest-tracts extending southward to
Bastar. M. jihaocej^is is not known to occur anywhere within 300 miles of the
Bombay Preijidency.

t Species of Cremastogaster , Jour. Bombay N. H. Sec. fii, p. 198.

MICKOPTERNUS. 57

984. Micropternus brachyurus. Tlie Malaij Rufous Woodpecl-er.

Picus brachyurus, Vieill. Nouv. Did. (VHist. Nat. xxvi, p. 103 (1818).
Picus badiu!?, Raffles, Trans. Linn. Soc. xiii, p. 289 (1822).
Micropternus baclius, Blyth, J. A. S. B. xiv, p. 194 ; id. Cat. p. Gl :

Horsf. ^' M. Cat. ii, p. (306 ; Hume, S. F. \\\, p. 319.
Micropternus brachyurus, Hume, S. F. v, p. 481 ; id. Cat. no. 178

bis ; Hume ^- Dav. S. F. vi, p. 145 ; Oates, B. B. ii, p. 58 ;

Hargitt, Ibis, 1885, p. 10 ; id. Cat. B. M. xviii, p. 396.

This is very similar to M. pJicpoceps, but distinguished by being
smaller, by the crown not being as a rule darker than the back,
by the central portions of the pale-edged feathers of the chin,
throat, and malar region being much darker than the breast, and
by the black bars on the upper surface, and especially on the lower
plumage, being more developed, and those on the tail-feathers
broader. Most Tenasserim birds, except from south of Tavoy, are
intermediate between M. bmchyurus and M. pluvoceps.

Length about 8 ; tail 2-3 ; wing 4*5 ; tarsus '85 ; bill from
gape 1.

Distribution. The Malay Peninsula, Sumatra, and Java, ex-
tending north into Tenasserim, where this Woodpecker appears to
pass into 21. plueoceps.

985. Micropternus gularis. Tlie Malabar Rufous Woodpecker.

Picus (Micropternus) gularis, Jerdon, Madr. Jour. L. S. xiii, pt. 2,
p. 139 (1844).

Micropternus gularis, Blyth, J. A. S. B. xv, p. 17 ; id. Cat. p. 61
Jerdon, B. I. i, p. 294; Blyth, Ibis, 1867, p. 297; Holdsworth
P. Z. S. 1872, p. 428 ; Huine, 8. F. i, p. 434 ; v, p. 481 ; id. Cat
no. 179 ; Blanf. Ibis, 1874, p. 92 ; Fairhay^k, S. F. iv, pp. 255
265 ; Laird, S. F. vii, p. 470 ; Legge, Birds Ceyl. p. 200 ; FiV/a/,
^S". F. ix, p. 53 ; Davison, S. F. x, p. 356 ; id. Ibis, 1885, p. 331
Hargitt, Ibis, 1885, p. 7 ; id. Cat. B. M. xviii, p. 399 ; Barties
Birds Bom. p. 118; Davidso7i, Jour. Bomb. N. H. Soc. vi, p. 335

Pliaiopicos jerdonii, Malh. Rev. Mag. Zool. 1849, p. 535 ; id. Picidce
ii, p. 3, pi. xlvii.

Coloration and sexual distinctions similar to those of the two
preceding species, except that the feathers of the chin and throat
which, as in M. brachyurus, are darker, except on their whitish
edges, than the breast-feathers, are confined to a tract in the
middle of the throat and do not extend to the malar region.
The head is usually dusky above, as in M.phceoceps. Upper parts
generally barred with black, lower parts seldom barred in adults,
the flanks alone showing some traces of barring.

Length 9 ; tail 2-75 ; wing 4'7o ; tarsus -9 ; bill from gape 1*2.

Distribution. Ceylon, and the forest tracts near the Malabar
coast, both below and above the Ghats, as far north as the
neighbourhood of Bombay.

Habits, Sfc. Similar to those of M. phceoceps ; this species has
been observed by several writers to feed on ants, and both Davison

58 piciD.i:.

and Aitken found the eggs laid in ants' nests. According to Legge,
it often feeds on the ground, and lie has seen it breaking up the
dried dung of cattle. He also says it has a loud note, often heard
very early in the morning.

Genus BRACHYPTERNUS, Strickland, 1841.

Bill scarcely longer than head, the culmen curved ; nasal ridge
close to the culmen, but subobsolete ; nostrils exposed. First
(hind) digit and claw very small, together scarcely as long as one
of the claws of the other digits ; third and fourth toes subequal.
Wings and tail longer than in Micropternus ; outer tail-feathers a
little longer than the coverts. A red occipital crest in both sexes ;
crown red in males, black with wdiite spots in females ; back
yellow or red, lower parts black and white or fulvous.

This genus is peculiar to India and Ceylon.

Key to the Sjyecies.

Back yellow or orange B. aurantius, p. 58.

Back crimson B. erythronotus, p. GO.

986. Brachypternus aurantias. The Golden-hacked Woodpecl-er.

Picus anrantius and P. bengalensis, Linn. Syst. Nat. i, pp. 174, 175
(1766).

Malacolophus melanochrysos, Hodys. J. A. 8. B. vi, p. 109 (1837).

Brachypternus aurantius, Strickl. P. Z. S. 1841, p. 31 ; Blyth, Cat.
p. 56; Horsf. Sr M. Cat. ii, p. 654; Adams, P. Z. S. 1858,
p. 475 ; 1859, p. 174 ; Jerdon, B. I. i, p. 295 ; Ball, S. F. vii,
p. 206; Criijps, ib. p. 263; Hume, Cat. no. 180; Reid, S. F. x,
p. 25 ; Oates in Hume's N. Sf E. 2nd ed. ii. p. 309.

Brachypternus micropus, Blyth, J. A. S. B. xiv, p. 194 (1845).

Brachvpternopicus chrysouotus {Less.), apud Malh. Rev. Zool. 1845,
p. 404.

Brachypternopicus puncticollis, Malh. t. c. p. 405.

Brachypternus dilutus, Blyth, Cat. p. 56 (1849); id. Ibis, 1866,
p. 356 ; Jerdon, B. I. i, p. 297 ; Hume, S. F. i, p. 171 ; id. Cat.
no. 182 ; Doiy, S. F. viii, p. 370.

Brachypternus chrysonotus, a2)ud Horsf. Sf M. Cat. ii, p. 656 ; Jerdon,
B. I. i, p. 296; McMaster, J. A. 'S. B. xl, pt. 2, p. 209; Fair-
bank, S. F. iv, p. 255.

Brachypternus puncticolhs, Hnldsworth, P. Z. S. 1872, p. 428 : Hume,
Cat. no. 181 ; Leyye, Birds Ceyl. p. 205, pi. ix ; Vidal, S. F. ix, p. 53;
Butler, ib. p. 386 ; Davidson, Jour. Bomb. N. H. Soc. vi. p. 336.

Brachypternus intermedins, Leqqe, S. F. iv, p. 242 ; White, S. F. v,
p. 201 ; Parker, S. F. ix, p. 4^9.

Brachypternus aurantius and B. puncticollis, Davisoti, S. F. x, p. 356 ;
Barnes, Birds Bom. pp. 118, 119; Ilaryitt, Cat. B. M. xviii,
pp. 404, 407.

Coloration. Male. Forehead and crown black, the feathers
tipped with crimson ; occipital crest bright crimson, the feathers
with whitish shaft-stripes ; a narrow stripe on each side of the
crown, and a broad band through the eye to the nape, including
upper lores and ear-coverts, mixed black and white ; remainder of

BEACnYPTEEXUS. 59

sides of head, above and below the eye, and sides of neck white,
often tinged yellowish ; hind neck, upper back, rump, and upper
tail-coverts velvety black ; scapulars and interscapulary region
golden yellow, sometimes tinged with orange-red ; most of the
greater wing-coverts and some of the inner median coverts with
the outer webs of the secondary quills golden olive, the other
coverts black, nearly all coverts except along the forearm with a
subterminal yellowish or olivaceous white spot, varying much in
size ; both webs of primaries and inner webs of secondaries
brownish black, with large white spots ; tail-feathers entirely
black ; malar region, chin, throat, and fore neck black, with nume-
rous short white stripes or spots, this pattern passing gradually
into that of the breast, where the feathers are buft'y ^^'hite with
broad black borders, that become narrower on the abdomen ;
flanks and under tail-coverts white with broad black bars, or black
with large white spots (fig. 8, p. 14).

Female. Forehead and crown black, each feather with a terminal
spot]; a crimson occipital crest as in the male, Nestling birds are
sooty black and sullied white below, and the females want the
white spots on the head.

Bill slaty black ; irides red-brown ; orbital skin dusky green ;
feet dark green ; claws dusky (Jerdon).

Length 11-5 ; tail 3-75 ; wing 5-5 ; tarsus -95 ; bill from gape 1*5.

Listrihntlon. Throughout India and Ceylon, ranging throughout
Sind and the Punjab, ascending the lower Western Himalayas to
about 3000 feet, and extending on the eastward to Eastern Bengal
and Cacliar, but not to Assam.

The pale form from Sind, distinguished by Blyth as B. cUlutus,
is a well-marked geographical race, paler yellow on the back, all
the interscapulary feathers with white shaft-stripes and dusky tips,
with white spots along the shafts of the scapulars, and large
white spots on the wing-coverts.

The dark Ceylon and Malabar and S. India^i form called
B. micropus by Blyth and B.pv,ncticollis by Malherbe, and wrongly
identified with Pims chrj/sonotus of Lesson by several naturalists,
has much smaller and more rounded white spots on the throat and
fore neck, together with frequently a white bar near the base of
each feather in those parts. Occasionally the fore neck (not the
throat) is unspotted black. The black and white band through
the eye is connected by a black stripe with the nape. The black
edges of the breast-feathers are wider. But both in this case and
in that of B. cUlutus not only are intermediate forms between them
and B. aurantius common, but there are in the Hume Collection
characteristic skins of B. dllutus from Bengal and of B. puncti-
coIHs from Lucknow.

B. intermedins has a red back, and is probably a hybrid between
the present "Woodpecker and B. en/thronotus ; and B. puncticollis
itself, especially the very dark Ceylon birds, may result from an
occasional cross with the red-backed species.

Habits, Sfc. By far the commonest and most familiar of Indian
Woodpeckers, this is often seen about villages where there are

60 PICID.E.

trees, and especially in mango-groves. It is also found in thin
forest, and in Sind in tamarisk-serub, and feeds much on ants ; it
is a bold noisy bird with a loud screaming call, often uttered on the
wing. It breeds in Northern India in March and April, and again
in June and July, in Ceylon from February till June ; the eggs,
three in number as a rule, being often laid in Northern India in a
hole in a mango-tree. The eggs are white and glossy, and measure
about 1-11 by •&.

987. Brachypternus erythronotiis. The Red-hacked Woodpecker.

Picus erithronothos, Vieillot, Nouv. Diet. d'Hist. Nat. xxvi, p. 73

(1818).
Picus ceylonus, Ciiv. Hegne Anhn. ed. 2", i, p. 451 (1829).
Brachypternus erythronotus, Strickland, P. Z. S. 1841, p. 31 ; Har(/itt,

Cat. B. M. xviii, p. 409 ; Oates, in Humes N. ^- E. 2nA. ed. ii,

p. 311.
Brachypternus cevlonus, Blyth, Cat. p. -56 ; Lai/ard,A. M. N. H. (2)

xiii, p. 449 (18;j4) ; Horsf. S,- M. Cat. ii, p. 656 ; Bh/th, Ibis, 18G7,

p. 297 ; Holdstcorth, P. Z. S. 1872, p. 428 ; Hiane, Cat. no. 182 bis ;

Leyge, Birds Cexjl. p. 202, pi. viii.

Coloration. Male. Forehead and crown black, the feathers
tipped crimson ; occipital crest crimson, feathers more or less
white-shafted ; sides of head black, with two huffy-white stripes,
one from above the eye over the ear-coverts, the other from the
base of the upper mandible below the eye and ear-coverts down
the side of the neck ; supraorbital, upper loral, and malar regions
spotted white, ear-coverts streaked with white ; back of neck antl
uppermost part of back, rump, and upper tail-coverts black, the
rump-feathers edged with crimson ; back and scapulars bright
crimson like the crest ; coverts and outer webs of secondaries
duller crimson ; generally several of the outer greater coverts and
a few median coverts each with a subterminal pinkish-white spot ;
both webs of primary quills and inner webs of secondaries black
with white spots, except near the tips ; tail black ; chin and
middle of throat like malar region black with apical white spots,
and generally with the base of the feathers white, sides of throat
entirely black ; rest of lower parts white, often sullied, the feathers
with black edges, which are so broad on the breast as to pre-
dominate, the w hite being frequently reduced to large spots ;
flanks, thighs, and lower tail-coverts more or less barred with black.

Female, Forehead and crown black, with small white apical
spots ; occipital crest alone crimson.

Bill blackish, base and sides of under mandible leaden ; iris red ;
legs and feet murky greenish, olivaceous green, or dusky sap-green
{Legge).

Length about 11*5 inches; tail 3*7o; wing 5-4; tarsus -95;
bill from gape l"o.

Distribution. Peculiar to Ceylon, found almost throughout the
island up to 3.5(»0 or 4000 feet elevation.

Habits, 4'c. Very similar to those of B. aurantiiis. According to

TIGA. 61

Legge this Woodpecker is partial to cocoauut and other trees in
cultivation, but is also common in forest. It is pugnacious, fear-
less, and active, and has a loud harsh call : it lives largely on red
ants. It breeds in Southern Ceylon from February till June, and
not unfrequently lays its eggs, ^vhich appear not to have been
described, in a hole cut into the stem of a dead cocoanut-tree.

Genus TIGA, Kaup, 1836.

This genus is very close to Braclinpternus, and differs chiefly in
having no hallux (first digit or inner hind toe); the coronal
feathers are more elongate and the wing more pointed. It repre-
sents Brachj/pter7ius east of the Bay of Bengal, but is also found
in the Indian Peninsula.

Key to the Species.

A sino-le black line down middle of throat T.javanensis, p. 61.

Two black lines with a brownish space between

them down middle of throat T. shorei, p. 62.

988. Tiga javanensis. The Common Golden-hacked Three-toed
Woodpecker.

Picus javanensis, Ljung, Kon. Sveusk. Vet.-Ak. Handl. 1797, p. 134 ;

Wdlden, Ibis, 1871, p. 164.
Picus tiga, Horsf. Trans. Linn. Soc. xiii, p. 177 (1821).
Chrysonotus tridactylus, Strains. Classif. B. \\, p. 3(j9 (1837).
Picus (Tiga) intermedins, partim, and P. (T.) tridactylus (Swains.),

Blytlu J. A. S. B. xiv, p. 193 (1845).
Picus (Brachypteruopicus) rubropygialis, Malh. Rev. Zool. 1845,

p. 400.
Tiga intermedia and T. tridactyla, Blyth, Cat. p. 56.
Chrvsouota tiga and C. intermedins, Korsf. Sf M. Cat. ii, p. 657.
Chrysonotus intermedius and C. rubropygialis, Jerdon, B. I. i, p. 299.
Tiga intermedia, Hume, S. F. iii, pp. 74, 328; Armstronff, S. F. iv,

p. 311 ; Salvadori, Ann. Mus. Civ. Gen. (2) iv, p. 580; v, p. 567 ;

vii, p. 432.
Chrysonotus rubropygialis, Hume, S. F. iv, p. 390.
Tiga javanensis, Bli/th ^- Wald. Birds Bu7-m. p. 75 ; Hume 8c Dav.

S. F. vi, pp. 14(3, 501; Hume, Cat. no. 184; Oates, S. F, viii,

p. 165; Bingham, S. F. ix, p. 164: Davison, S. F. x, p. 357;

Oates, B. B. ii, p. 55 ; Hargitt, Cat. B. M. xviii, p. 412 ; Oates in

Hume's N. 8f E. 2nd ed. ii, p. 311.

The Common Three-toed Woodpecker; The Southern Three-toed Wood-
pecker, Jerdon.

Coloration. Male. Crown and long occipital crest crimson, the
feathers dark ashy at the base, then black, then red ; forehead
often brownish ; sides of head and neck white, except a broad
black band from the eye to the nape, and another black band,
often much mixed with white, from the malar region to the
shoulder ; hind neck and uppermost back black ; back, scapulars,
and wing-coverts golden olive, with orange or scarlet edges ; rump

62 piciD.!.

and lower back crimson; upper tail-coverts black, often brownish ;
outer webs of secondary quills golden olive, rest of quills brownish
black, with white spots on the inner webs only, tips of primaries
sometimes very pale or whitish ; tail black ; lower parts white or
buffy white ; a broken black stripe down the middle of the chin
and throat, getting broader below ; feathers of breast and abdomen
with broad black edges, so broad on the breast as lo produce a
scale-like pattern ; flanks and lower tail-coverts barred black.

Female. Whole crown and occipital crest black, with elongate
subterminal spots on each feather.

Bill very dark brown ; iris hazel ; eyelids plumbeous ; legs
greenish ; claws horn-colour (Oates).

Length 11-5; tail 4; wing 5-8; tarsus -95 ; bill from gape 1"5.

Distributi(jn. Common throughout Burma, extending to tSiam,
Cambodia, Cochin China, the Malay Peninsula, Borneo, Sumatra,
and Java. Found also in the hill-forests near the Malabar coast
of India as far north as the Wynaad. The statement that the
type of T. rubropi/gialis came from Bengal needs confirmation
(according to Jerdon it came from Bangalore). Apparently this
species is found nowhere in the Peninsula of India except the
southern part of the Malabar coast, and it is also wanting in the
Assam hills, Cachar, and Manipur.

The Malabar form called Chrysonotns riihropygialis by Jerdon
is rather smaller than the Burmese, and has rather more white on
the breast, hut there is no constant distinction.

Hahits, ^'c. Very similar to those of i?rac7i?//>ieniws. The present
species has much the same shrill call and is equally familiar. The
eggs have been taken in March in the Malabar forests by F. Bour-
dillon, and in Burma from March to May by Oates and Biugham.
They are laid, like those of other Woodpeckers, in holes in trees,
are white, glossy, and usually three in number, and measure about
1-11 by -8.

989. Tiga shorei. The Himalayan Golden-backed Three-toed
WoodpecTcer.

Pious shorei, Vu/ors, P. Z. S. 1831, p. 175.
Pious (Tiga) shorei, £li/th, J. A. S. B. xiv, p. 193.
Tiga shorei, Blijth, Cat. p. 56, partim ? ; Hume, S. F. iii, p. 73,
partim ; id. Cat. no. 183 ; Daviso7i, S. F. ix, p. 357 ; Haryitt, Cat.
B. M. xviii, p. 417.
Chrysonotus shorei, Horsf. Sf M. Cat. ii, p. 658; Jerdon, B. I. \,
p. 298 ; Anderson, Yunnan Exped., Aves, p. 586 ; Ball, S. F. vii,
p. 206.
Chrysonotus biddulphi, Ticked, Walden, Ibis, 1876, p. 344 ; Hume,
S. F. v, p. 497.
The Larye Three-toed IVoodpecker, Jerdon.

Verv similar to T. javanensis. The differences are that in the
present species there are two broken black lines down the throat
and fore neck, the space between them beiug isabelliue, as is the
malar region and sometimes the breast in part. There is less

GAUROPTCOIDES. 63

black on the lower parts throughout. There is no black or
blackish bar behind the crimson tips of the coronal feathers in the
male, and the bases of the feathers are paler ashy ; whilst in the
female the feathers on the top of the head are brown with long
white shaft-lines.

Bill blackish slaty ; irides crimson ; legs plumbeous (Jerdon).

Length about 12 ; tail 4*25 ; wing 6 ; tarsus 1-05 ; bill from
gape 1-6.

Distribution. The lower valleys of the Himalayas from Dehra Dim
to Bhutan, also Bhamo and the neighbourhood of Thayet Myo in
Upper Pegu. It is remarkable that neither this species nor the
last appears to have been obserA'ed in the countries between
Burma and tlie Himalayas. Eeported occurrences of T. shored in
the Indian Peninsula need confirmation ; they may have been
founded on large specimens of T. javanensis, but one in Blyth's
Catalogue, from Goomsur, should not be forgotten.

It is on the whole doubtful whether this form should be kept
separate from T. javanensis.

Genus GAUROPICOIDES, Malherbe, 1861.

Three toes only, the hallux or inner posterior toe wanting ;
hind toe shorter than outer fore toe. Bill with the culmen
straight and sharply angulate, the nasal ridge well marked, near
the culmen ; nosti'ils at base of bill, nasal plumes short, but
covering the nostrils. Tad-feathers narrow, all pointed except
the outer pair, which are but little shorter than the next. Wings
very rounded.

Coloration yellow above, brown below, the head banded with
black and white at the side ; male with a red, female with a black
cap. A single species.

990. Gauropicoides rafflesi. Raffles's Three-toed Woodpecker.

Picus rafflesii, Viqors, Raffl. Mem., App. p. 669 (18:'.0).

Tiga rafflesi, Strickland, P. Z. S. 1846, p. 103; Bli/th, J. A. S. B.
XV, p. 16 ; id. Cat. p. 57.

Chrysonotus rafflesi, Horsf. ^ M. Cat. ii, p. 658.

Gauropicoides rafflesi, Malh. Picidce, i, p. liii ; Hume, S. F. iii,
p. 319 ; id. Cat. no. 185 bis ; Hume ^- Dav. S. F. vi, p. 146; Gates,
B. B. ii, p. 42 ; Haryitt, Cat. B. M. xviii, p. 132.

Coloration. Male. Whole cap, nape, and long pointed nuchal
crest bright crimson ; nasal plumes and lores pale brown ; lower
lores and a band from them under the eye to far down the side of
the neck white, also a white supercilium from above the eye to
the nape; a band down the back of the neck, a line above the
supercilium, a broad band below it from the eye, and a third line
from the base of the lower mandible black, the lowest line is
narrow and brown at first but broader behind ; back, sca])ulars,
secondary-coverts, and outer webs of secondaries golden olive, the

64 piciD^.

edges of the featliers brighter ; rump-feathers the same, but the
edges sometimes tinged with red ; primary -coverts and wing-
feathers blackish brown, the inner webs of the latter with a few
round \\hite spots towards the base, the primaries tipped with
whitish and having occasionally a few very small pale spots on the
outer webs ; upper tail-coverts dark brown ; tail black ; chin
and throat white sullied with fulvous ; remaining lower parts
ohve-brovvn, the flanks and under wing-coverts spotted white.

Female. The crimson of the head and nape is replaced by black ;
forehead yellowish brown.

Upper mandible and tip of lower black or bluish, rest of lower
mandible plumbeous ; irides deep brown ; legs and feet dark
green.

Length 12 ; tail 4-6 ; wing .5-7 ; tarsus 1 ; bill from gape 1-5.

Distribution. The Malay Peninsula, ranging into Tena.sserim to
a little north of the latitude of Moulmein ; also Sumatra and
Borneo.

Habits, <^c. According to Davison this Woodpecker much
resembles Ticja javanensis in its habits and voice. It keeps to
evergreen forests, is found singly or in pairs, and is not shy.
It is seen on fallen trees but not on the ground.

Genus CHRYSOCOLAPTES, Blyth, 1843.

Bill stout and long, culmen nearly straight ; nasal ridge strongly
marked, commencing at base of bill halfway between culmen and
commissure ; nostrils elongate, exposed. Feet large, first or hind
toe well developed ; fourth toe longer than third ; claws very large.
Head large and conspicuously crested, neck very small. Outer pair
of tail-feathers just exceeding the coverts in length. Plumage
very like that of Bmchyptemus ; yellow or red above ; white, the
feathers edged with black, below.

Key to the Species.

a. Crown of male red, of female yellow ; back

black _. . C.festivus, p. 64.

h. Crown of male red, of female black with
white spots.

a'. Back p;olden olive C. guttlcristatvs, p. 65.

V . Back red C. stricklandi, j). G7.

991. Chrysocolaptes festivus. The Black-bacl-cd Woodpecker.

Pious festivus, Boddaei-t, TaU. PL Enl. p. 4.3, no. 696 (1783).
Piens goensis, Gmel. Syst. Nat. i, p. 4.34 (1788).
Dendrocopus elliotii, Jerdon, Madr. Jour. L. S. xi, p. 212 (1840).
Picus (Chrysocolaptes) melauotus, Blyth, J. A. S. B. xii, p. 1005

(1843).
Chrysocolaptes goensis, Blyth, Cat. p. 55 ; Jerdon, B. I. i, p. 282.
Chrysocolaptes festivus, Blyth, Ibis, 1866, p. 355 ; Blanford,

CHEYSOCOLAPTES. Q5-

J. A. S. B. xxxviii, pt. 2, p. 168 : Admn, S. F. i, p. 373; Ball,
S. F. ii, p. 391 ; vii, p. 206 ; Butler, S. F. iii, p. 458 ; ix, p. 385 ;
Hume, Cat. no. 167 ; Vidal, S. F. ix, p. 52; Legge, Birds Ceyl.
p. 191 ; Davidson, S. F. x, p. 297; Hume, ib. p. 355; Barnes, Birds
Bom. p. 1 15 ; Harqitt, Cat. B. M. xviii, p. 445 ; Oates in Hime's
N. ^' E. 2nd ed. ii " p. 312.

Coloration. Male. Forehead with large biiffy-white spots on a
brown ground ; long feathers of crown and occiput crimson, a black
border, often mixed with white anteriorly, to the crown ; hind neck
and middle of upper back white ; remainder of back, scapulars,
smaller wing-coverts along the forearm, tail-coverts and tail black ;
larger and median secondary-coverts olive with golden-yellow edges,
outer ^^•ebs of secondaries golden olive, rest of quill-feathers
brownish black, all outer webs with spots, brownish or greenish
outside, white inside, inner webs with large white spots ; sides of
head and neck and underparts white or huffy white, except a
broad black band from each eye dowai the side of the neck, two
black lines on each malar region, the two meeting at the side
of the throat, and a median line down the throat, or five lines
in all ; breast-feathers with broad black lateral margins producing
a striped appearance, abdominal with narrower and less defined
borders ; under tail-coverts mixed black and white.

Female. Coronal and occipital feathers golden yellow, broad
forehead spotted as in the male. In young males the crest-
feathers are dull scarlet, in young females the yellow crest-feathers
have red tips.

Bill dusky blackish ; irides crimson ; legs and feet horny
plumbeous (Jerdon).

Length about 12-5 ; tail 3-5 ; wing 6-25 ; tarsus I'l ; bill from
gape 2-2.

Distribution. This Woodpecker is found throughout the greater
part of the Indian Peninsula and Ceylon, in forest-tracts, ranging
to Dehra Diin and the Oudh Terai in the north, the Aravalli Hills
to the west, Behar and Chutia Nagpur to the east. On Ithe
Malabar coast it appears to be much less common than the next
species, but has been recorded from Eatnagiri, Goa, and the
Nilgiris. It is, as a rule, rare or very locally distributed.

Habits, ^c. This, though a forest bird, is not an inhabitant of
thick jungle, and has been observed in cultivation occasionally.
According to Davidson it breeds in the hills around Khandesh
in November, December, and January, and lays a single white egg
in a hole in a tree as usual. Generally a new hole is cut out every
year.

992. Chrysocolaptes gutticristatus. TickelVs Golden-backed

Woodpecker.

Picus guttacristatus, Tickell, J. A. 8. B. ii, p. 578 ? (1833).
Picus sultaneus, Hodcjs. J. A. S. B. vi, p. 105 (1837).
Picus strictus, apud Jerdon, Madr. Jour. L. S. xi, p. 210.
VOL. III. r

€6 PICID^.

Chrysocolaptes sultaneiis, Blyth, Cat. p. 55 ; id. Ibis, 1866, p. 355 ;

Horsf. 4- M. Cat. ii, p. 653 ; Jerdon, B. I. i, p. 281 ; id. Ihs, 1872,

p. 8 ; Hume ^ Oates, S. F. iii, p. 64 ; Armstrong, S. F. iv, p. 310 ;

mime ^ Inglis, S. F. v, p. 26 ; ITwrne Sr Bav. S. F. vi, p. 133 ;

Hume, Cat.no. 166; Anderson, Y^mnan Fxped., Aves, p. 584;

Vidal, S. F. ix, p. 52 ; Hmne, S. F. xi, p. 61.
IndopicLis sultaneus (Hodgs.) and I. delesserti, Malh. Mem. Acad.

Metz, 1848-49, p. 343.
Chrysocolaptes delesserti, Blyth, Ibis, 1866, p. 355 ; Hume, g I.

iii, p. 64; Bourdillon, S. F. iv, p. 389; Fairbank, S. F. v,

p. 396 ; Dav. ^' Wend. S. F. vii, p. 78 ; Ball, S. F. vii, p. 205 ;

Hume, Cat. no. 166 bis ; Barnes, Birds Bom. p. 114.
Chrysocolaptes gutticristatus, Jerdon, Ibis, 1872, p. 8 ; Blyth S;
Wald. Birds Burm. p. 75; Fairbank, S. F. iv, pp. 255, 265;

Hargitt, Cat. B. M. sviii, p. 448 ; Oates in Hume's N. 8,- E.

2nd ed. ii, p. 313.
Chrysocolaptes strictus, apud Hum, S. F. viii, p. 154 ; Butler, S. F.

ix, pis. 238, 385 ; Davison, S. F. x, p. 354 ; Oates, B. B. ii, p. 53.

The Golden-backed Woodpecker, Jerdon ; Tashi-on-bau, Lepcha.

Fig. 17. — Head of C. gutticristatus, (^ .

Coloration. Male. Forehead and border of crown to above eye
brown, crown and occiput covered with long crimson feathers and
bordered with black ; hind neck in the middle white, the feathers
often bordered with black and the white more or less reduced to
spots ; back, scapulars, and whole outer surface of wings, except
primary-coverts and outer webs of primaries, golden olive, the
feathers with bright golden or sometimes scarlet edges ; quills and
primary-coverts brown, inner webs with round white spots, tips
of primaries often pale ; rump crimson ; upper tail-coverts and
tail black. Sides of head and neck and lower parts as in C.festivus,
except that there is more black, especially on the fore neck and
breast, which are generally black with white spots.

Females have the crown and occiput black with round white
spots. In young males the forehead is coloured as in females.

Eill bluish brown ; iris pinkish yellow; eyelids dark slaty brown;
legs greenish blue (Gates).

CHRTSOCOLAPTES. 67

Length about 13 ; tail 4*25 ; wing 6'5 (varying from 5*85 to
7'45) ; tarsus 1"3; bill from gape 2,

Distribution. Throughout the Lower Himalayas as far west as
Dehra Diin, rare in Lo^^•er Bengal, Manbhoom (Beavan), Dholbhum
and Borabhum {Tickell), and common in the neighbourhood of
the Malabar coast from western Khandesh to Cape Comorin. This
species has not been recorded from other parts of the Indian
Peninsula, but east of the Bay of Bengal it appears to be found
from Assam throughout Burma and the neighbouring countries
to Singapore, Siam, and Cochin China.

The Malabar race (wing 5-8-6'3 ; culmen 1'7-1"9) is much
smaller than the Himalayan (wing G*7-7*45 ; culmen 2-2*4) and
has been distinguished as C. delesserti ; but Hume has shown that
in Burma there is a complete gradation between the two, and that
Malay Peninsula birds are small like those from Malabar. In
many species of Oriental birds and mammals the size diminishes
to the southward. The true C. strictus is peculiar to Java, and is
distinguished by the female having a yellow head as in 0. festivus.

Habits, &(c. This bird is found both in thick forest and in cultiva-
tion, and in Burma often haunts trees on the banks of streams. It
has, Jerdon says, a high-pitclied, faint, screaming note, quite unlike
the loud and harsh call of Bracliypternus aurantius. It also, like
others of this genus, makes a great noise when tapping by repeating
its strokes with unusual rapidity. It breeds on the Nilgiris between
5500 and 7000 feet in December, January, and February, and in the
northern Satpuras near Bombay in March, making a large hole in
the trunk of a tree from 6 to 60 feet from the ground, and laying
a single white egg.

993. Chrysocolaptes stricklandi, LaymxVs Woodjyecker.

Brachypternus stricklandi, Layard, A. M. N. H. (2) xiii, p. 449

(1854).
Chrysocolaptes stricklandi, Blyth, Ibis, 1867, p. 297 ; Holdsivorth,

P. Z. S. 1872, p. 427 ; Legyc, Ibis, 1874, p. 15 ; 1875, pp. 283, 410;

id. S. F. iii, p. 200 ; id. Birds Ceyl. p. 188, pi. vii ; Holdsivorth,

Ibis, 1874, p. 123 ; Hume, S. F. vii, p. 368 ; id. Cat. no. 166 ter ;

Haryitt, Cat. B. M. xviii, p. 453 ; Oates in Hume's N. ^ E. 2nd

ed. ii, p. 313.

Coloration. Back, scapulars, and outer surface of wings, except
primary-coverts and outer webs of primaries, dull crimson, edges
of feathers brighter, rump also brighter. In all other respects
this species resembles C. yutticristatus except that there is every-
where more black and less white, there are only white spots on
the back of the neck, and the sides of the head above the malar region
and of the neck are almost all black, the superciliary stripe being
represented by a row of white spots. The black borders of the
breast-feathers are very broad. Sexual distinctions as in C. gutti-
cristatus.

Bill brownish or olivaceous at the base, greenish white in the

r2

68 piciD^.

middle, the tip dusky ; iris yellowish white ; legs and feet greenish'
slate (Legge).

Length about ll'S ; tail 3*5 ; wing 5*9 ; tarsus 1-1 ; bill from
gape 1'9.

Distrihution. Confined to Ceylon. This Woodpecker is found in
forests almost throughout the island, on both hills and lowlands.

Habits, cf-c- Similar to those of C.gutticristatus. Legge observed
birds of this species haunting a nest-hole high up a large tree in
January in such a manner as to indicate that they had young.

Genus HEMICERCUS, Swainson, 1837.

Size small ; bill straight, compressed towards the end, nasal ridge
well marked, beginning at the base halfway between culmen and
commissure and extending half the distance to the tip ; nostrils
covered with plumes ; feet very large, hallux well developed, fourth
toe longer than third ; a long crest on the occiput and nape ; neck
very slender ; tail very short, but little exceeding the tail-covert&
and only about one-third the length of the wing, the tail-feathers
rounded at the end, outer pair distinctly shorter. Plumage black
or dark olivaceous grey and bulf. Both sexes have in the middle
of the back a tuft of bristly feathers smeared with a viscid secretion
having a peculiar resinous scent.

Only three species are known, of which one is peculiar to Java,
the others inhabit India and Burma.

Key to the Sj^ecies.

A. Ci'owu red in males, olive-grey like remainder

of head in females, ruddy butf in young .... H. sordidus, p. 68.

B. Crown black with white specks in males, buft'

in females and young H. canenfe, p. 69.

994. Hemicercus sordidus. The Greg-cmd-Buff Woodpeclcer.

Dendrocopus sordidus, Eyton, A. M. N. H. xvi, p. 229 (1845).
Hemicercus concretus (Tennn.), apud Blyth, J. A. S. B. xiv, p. 195;

id. Cat. p. 54 ; Horsf. 8f M. Cat. ii, p. 650.
Hemicercus sordidus, Tioeeddale, Ibis, 1877, p. 291 ; Hume ^- Dav.

S. F. vi, p. 128 ; Hume, Cat. no. 165 bis a ; Oates, B. B. ii, p. 32 ;

Hanjitt, Ibis, 1884, p. 247 ; id. Cat. B. M. xviii, p. 483.

Coloration. Male. Forehead and crown crimson ; coronal feathers
elongate, the crimson cap tapering to a point on the occiput ; long
nuchal crest, with the sides of the head and neck, chin, throat, and
breast olivaceous grey ; hind neck buff ; back, scapulars, wing-
coverts, and tertiaries black, each feather with a buff margin and
many with a buff bar across the middle ; remaining quills brownish
black except the inner margin towards the base, which, with the
rest of the wing-lining, is buff ; on the secondaries some trian-
gular buff spots appear on the outer webs, which gradually increase
till they become bars on the tertiaries ; lower back uniform grey ;
rump buff ; upper and lower tail-coverts black tipped with buff ;

HEMICERCTJS. fi9

tail black, the outer featliers barred and tipped with buff; a slight
trace of a buff line down the side of the neck ; abdomen grey, with
buffy-white edges to the feathers.

Female. Forehead and crown olive-grey like the rest of the head.

In the young of both sexes the crown and long nuchal crest are
ruddy buff, the feathers tipped with olive-grey ; in males the long
nuchal feathers become partly crimson, as these become olive-grey
the crown becomes crimson, the passage being gradual. The whole
mantle is buff with black spots, the rump-feathers are edged with
grey, and those of the lower parts with buff in very young birds.

Bill plumbeous grey ; irides red-brown ; legs and feet plumbeous,
tinged greenish (Davison).

Length 5-5; tail 1*2 ; wing 3*4 ; tarsus '6 ; bill from gape 1.

Distribution. The Malay Peninsula, Sumatra, and Borneo,
ranging north into the extreme south of Tenasserim, a single
specimen having been obtained by Mr. Davison at Bankasiin.

995. Hemicercus canente. The Heart-spotted Woodjiecker.

Pious canente, Less. Cent. Zool. p. 215, pi. 73 (1830).

Hemicercus canente, Slyth, J. A. S. B. xv, p. 282 ; id. Cat. p. 64 ;

Horsf. ^ M. Cat. ii, p. G50 ; Jerdon, B. I. \, p. 280 ; Hume, S. F.

iii, p. 61 ; id. Cat. no. 16o bis ; id. S. F. xi, p. 61 ; Blyth ^ Wald.

Birds Burm. p. 74 ; Walden, Ibis, 1876, p. 344 ; Hujne ^ Inqlis, S. I.

V, p. 25 ; Biitler, ibid. p. 503 ; Jfutne Si' Dav. S. F. vi, pp. 127, 500 ;

Bingham, S. F. ix, p. 161 : Oatcs, B. B. ii, p. 30 ; Harcjitt, Ibis,

1884, p. 252 ; id. Cat. B. M. xviii, p. 486 ; Salvadori, Ann. Mus. Civ.

Gen. (2) v, p. 564 ; Oates in Hume's N. i^ E. 2nd ed. ii, p. 314.
Hemicercus cordatus, Jerdon, Madr. Jour. L. *S'. xi, p. 211 (1840);

id. III. Ind. Orn. pi. xl ; Bh/th, Ibis, 1866, p. 354 ; Hume Sf Bourd.

S. F. iv, p. 389 ; Hume, Cat. no. 165 ; Butler, S. F. ix, p. 385 ;

Davison, S. F. x, p. 354 ; Harf/itt, Ibis, 1884, p. 257 ; id. Cat. B. M.

xviii, p. 488 ; Barnes, Birds Bom. p. 114.

Coloration. Male. Top and sides of head ^vith long occipital
crest, nape and sides of neck, back, scapulars, upper and lower
tail-coverts, and tail black, the forehead and anterior portion of
crown with minute white spots ; a band round the hind neck,
connected with a median patch on the interscapulary tract and
running forward along the sides of the neck to the chin, including
the throat and malar region, buff, as are also all the wing-coverts
along the forearm, the ^ving-lining, and the rump ; quills black,
margined with buff towards the base of the inner webs ; tertiaries
and a few of the larger and median coverts buff, each with a heart-
shaped black spot near the end ; fore neck, breast, and abdomen
dusky olive, darker behind, flanks black.

In the female and in the young of both sexes the forehead and
crown are buff.

Bill black ; irides dark reddish brown ; legs and feet very dark
green, sometimes appearing almost black (Davison).

In males, length 6*4 ; tail 1*4; wing 3-9 ; tarsus '7; bill from
gape 1-1. Females are rather smaller: wing 3-7; bill fi-om
gape "9.

70 PICIDiE.

The Malabar variety H. cordatus measures less on an average
(wing in males about 3-7, in females 3'6), but small Burmese
specimens are identical in measurement with large Malabar skins.
The Malabar form has, as a rule, a more slender but not a shorter
tarsus. I can find no characters by which the two geographical
races can be constantly distinguished.

Fig. 18. — Head of H. canente.

Distribution. Throughout the Burmese countries from Cachar in
the north to Kussoom, about 150 miles south of the Tenasserim
frontier in the Malay Peninsula, ranging eastward to Siam, Cam-
bodia, and Cochin China. Also in the forests along the Malabar
coast of India both below and above the Ghats from Khandala to
Cape Comorin. The only place in the interior of the Peninsula
whence this bird has been reported is in the Chanda forests, where
Jerdon says he found it. I was on two occasions for some months
each time iu the forests around Chanda and certainly never saw it,
nor has it been observed in the Central Provinces since Jerdon's
time. Jerdon does not say he obtained specimens ; and although
he very rarely made a mistake, I think the occurrence of this
species in the Indian Peninsula, except in the Malabar tract, needs
confirmation.

Habits, 4'c. Found in pairs, sometimes in families, in forest or clear-
ings, usually haunting the tops of high trees. The note is peculiar,
rather loud and long, and is frequently uttered. The eggs, usually
two in number, have been found by Mr. Inglis in Cachar in March,
by Major Bingham and ISlr. Davison in Tenasserim in December
and March, and by Mr. Darling near Kussoom, Malay Peiainsula,
in July : they are white and glossy, deposited on chips in a hole
made in a tree, and measure about -9 by '7.

Genus HEMILOPHUS, Swainson, 1837.

Size very large. Bill large, culmen curved at the base, then
straight, tip compressed and chisel-shaped ; nasal ridge well deve-
loped, near the culmen, continued almost to the tip ; nostrils
large, rounded, covered with plumes ; feet and claws large ; hallux
well-developed ; fourth toe shorter than third ; wings and tail
long ; tail-feathers very strong and pointed, the outer pair just

HEMILOPHUS. 71

extending beyond the coverts ; feathers of the head short, harsh
and scaly ; no crest. Phimage ashy.

A single species, which is the largest Indian Woodpecker.

996. Hemilophus pulverulentus. The Great Slaty Woodpecker.

Picus pulverulentus, Tcmm. PI. Col. pi. ;»89 (1826).
Picua gutturalis, Valenc. Diet. Sc. Nat. x\, p. 178 (1826).
HemiIophu8 pulverulentus, !Swams. Classif. B. ii, p. 309 ; Blyth,

Cat. p. 54 ; id. J. A. S. B. xxiii, p. 21o ; Blanf. Ibis, 1870, p. 464 ;

Harr/itt, Cat. B. M. xviii, p. 494; Oates in Hume's N. ^ E.

2nd ed. ii, p. 315.
Mulleripicus pulverulentus, Bonap. Coyisp. Yolucr. Zyqod. p. 7 ; Horsf.

<§• M. Cat. ii, p. 651 ; Jerdo7i, B. I. i, p. 284 ; id. Ibis, 1872, p. 9

Godw.-Aust. J. A. S. B. xliii, p. 155 ; Hume Sf Dav. 8. F. vi

p. 133 ; Hume, Cat. no. 168 ; Bingham, S. F. ix, pp. 141, 162, 472
Alopbonerpes gutturalis. Cab. Sf Heine., Mus. Hein. iv (2), p. 106 \

Blyth Sf- Wald. Birds Burm. p. 75.
Mulleripicus gutturali.«i, Hume ^ Oates, S. F. iii, p. 06.
Alophouerpes pulverulentus, Wardl.-Iiams. Ibis, 1877, p. 457 ; Oates,

B. B. ii, p. 29.

Coloration. Male. Ashy grey ; head paler, especially in fronts
all feathers of forehead, crown, neck, and breast with small pale
tips ; a large dull pale crimson patch in the malar region below
the eye ; chin, throat, and fore neck salfron-yellow, tinged with
red, especially on the fore neck, the feathers of the yellow area
short and stiff ; whole body slaty ash, paler and isabelline round
the vent ; quills and tail-feathers darker ; outer webs of primaries
sometimes tipped pale.

T}ie female wants the red malar patch, and the throat and fore
neck are yellow without any red. In young males the forehead
and greater part of the crown are tinged with pale crimson.

Bill bluish white, black on the culmen and tips of both man-
dibles ; mouth bluish black ; eyelids plumbeous ; iris dark hazel-
brown ; legs dark plumbeous ; claws bluish {Gates).

Length of males about 20 ; tail 7 ; wing 9 ; tarsus 1*55 ; bill
from gape 3 : females rather less.

Distribution. The Terai and base of the Himalayas, as far west
as Kumaun (or, perhaps, Dehra Diin), not common ; also from.
Assam throughout Bunna to Cochin China, Sumatra, Java, and
Borneo, sparingly distributed as a rule, but common in a few
localities.

Habits, (^c. This grand "Woodpecker is a denizen of high forests,
and especially of hilly tracts, and is generally seen high up the
stems and upper branches of trees, keeping in small parties of
from three or four to ten or twelve, and very noisy, often uttering
a peculiar querulous call. The nest was found by Bingham during
the rains in a Kanyin tree {Dipterocarpus alatus) that had been
blown down and used as a bridge over a stream. The birds
had made a hole 3| inches in diameter, extending a foot inwards
and then 8 inches downwards. The hole contained two fresh
glossy white eggs, measuring 1*41 x I'll.

72

PICID^.

Genus THEIPONAX, Cab. & Heine, 1863.

This genvis is structurally very similar to Hemilophus, except
that it has a well-marked nuchal crest, and that the feathers of
the head are of the ordinary textiu-e. The bill is not quite so
long as in Hemilojjhiis, and the nasal ridge is farther from the
culmen, though still nearer to it, at the base of the bill, than to
the commissure. The plumage in Tliriponax is chiefly black, in
most species with some white on the body ; the cap and a malar
patch are red in males, in females of all Indian species the
occiput and nape retain the red colour.

The genus occurs in Malabar, throughout Burma and the
Malay countries, in the Philippines, and Korea. There are four
Indian species.

Key to the Sjiecies.

a. Rump white.

«'. Primaries black throughout, or nearly so ... . T. hodr/soni, p. 72.

b'. Basal half of inner webs of primaries white . . T. feddeni, p. 73.
b.- Rump black.

c'. Abdomen white T.javensis, p. 74.

d'. No white in plumage T. hodgii, p. 75.

Fig. 111. — Head of T. hodgsoni

997. Thriponax hodgsoni. The Malabar Great Blacl-
Woodi)ecl:er.

Hemilophus hodgsonii, Jerdon, Madr. Jour, xi, p. 215, pi. ii (1840) ;
Blyth, Cat. p. 55.

Picus hodgsonii, Jerdon, 111. Ind. Orn. pi. v.

Miilleripicus hodgsoni, Jerdon, B. I. i, p. 284.

Thriponax hodgsoni, Hume, S. F. iii, p. 67 ; id. Cat. no. 169 ; Hume
^ Bourdillon, S. F. iv, p. 390 ; Butler, S. F. ix, p. 386 ; Davison,
S. F. X, p. 355; McGregor, ibid. p. 437; Hargitt, Ibis, 1885,
p. 150 ; id. Cat. B. 31. xviii, p. 503; Barnes, Birds Bom. p. 116;
Davidso7i, Jour. Boinb. N. H. Soc. vi, p. 335.

The Great Black Woodpecker^ Jerdon.

TKRIPONAX.

73

Coloration. Male. Forehead, crown, nape, and large malar
patch on each side crimson ; lower baek and rump, lower breast
and upper part of abdomen, flanks, axillaries, and basal portion
(1-1-15 inches long) of inner webs of secondaries buffy white ;
remainder of plumage black.

Female. The crimson is confined to the occiput and nape, all
the remainder of the head black.

Bill black ; irides crimson ; legs dark plumbeous (Jerdon).

Length of males about 19, of females 17-5 ; tail 7 ; wing 8-5 ;
tarsus 1-5 ; bill from gape 2'6.

Distrihution. Forests near the Malabar coast up to an elevation
of about 3000 feet or rather higher, from Travancore to west of
Belgaum (16° N. lat.). Not recorded farther north.

HaUts, Sfc. A shy bird, not noisy, usually found in pairs, some-
times in parties of three to six. It keeps generally to evergreen
forest and has a loud, not unpleasant, call-note. The eggs are not
known with certainty, and Davidson thinks it lays one only, as he
never saw more than three birds together.

998. Thriponax feddeni. The Burmese Great Black
Woodpeclcer.

Mulleripicus feddeni, Blanford, Blyth, J. A. S. B. xxxii, p. 75 (1863).
Thriponax jerdoni, Cab. Sf Heine, Mus. Hein. iv (2), p. 105 (1863).
Hemilophus feddeni, Blanf. Ibis, 1870, p. 464.
Thriponax feddeni, Wald'en, Ibis, 1871, p. 164 ; Bingham, S. F. viii,

p. 194 ; ix, p. 162 ; Hurne, S. F. viii, p. 409 ; Gates, B. B. w,

p. 28 ; Hargitt, Ibis, 1885, p. 152 ; id. Cat. B. M. xviii, p. 504 ;

Salvadori, Ann. Mus. Civ. Gen. (2) iv, p. 578.
Thriponax crawfurdi, ajnid Hume, S. F. iii, p. 66 ; Blyth ^ Wald.

Birds Bunn. p. 75; Hiane S^- Dav. S. F. vi, p. 134; Hu7ne, Cat.

no. 169 ter, nee Picus crawfurdii, Gray *.

Coloration very similar to that of T. hodrjsoni, but distinguished
by the much larger extent of the white or creamy-white area on
the lower parts, where the white extends from the middle breast

* Picus crawfurdii was described in 1829 by Dr. J. E. Gray (Griffith's Out.
An. King., Birds, ii. p. 513, fig.) from a coloured drawing made by a native artist
for Mr. Crawfurd, by whom tbe drawing was brought to England. No specimen
of the bird has ever been examined by a naturalist, and as in many similar
cases, where names have been given to figures, it has proved impossible to
recognize the species. The following description was taken by Dr. Gray from
the drawing : — • , i ,

" The whole vipper part (except the crest) is deep dark brown, sprmkled
with grey on the sides of the neck ; across the breast is a large lunule patch of
slate-colour with small dark waves ; the belly is yellow, with the Uke crescent-
shaped spots, and the crest is deep red."

It should be added that in the figure the crown (not the forehead) is red,
and there is no red malar patch. The black rump distinguishes the figure
from T. feddeni. I strongly suspect the drawing to have been an inaccurate
representation of a female T.javensis. Mr. Crawfurd, however, resided for a
considerable time in Ava, where T. feddeni occurs.

74 picidjE.

to the vent inclusive, on the rump where it sometimes extends
to the tail-coverts, and especially inside the wings, the basal half
or nearly half of the inner webs of all quills being white ; some
of the outer primaries generally white-tipped ; some white mixed
with the black on the sides of the head, and on the chin and
throat. Sexual distinctions as in T. hodgsoni.

BUI slaty ; irides yellow ; legs and feet plumbeous ; claws
horny {Bingham).

Length about 16 : tail 6 ; wing 8*5 ; tarsus 1-4 ; bill from gape
2'2 : the female as large as the male.

Distribution. Throughout the greater part of Burma from
Bhamo in the north to the hills east of Moulmein (Kokarit).
This bird has also been sent from Siam and Cochin China.

Habits, Sfc. A forest-bird found also in clearings, and generally
observed in pairs on saplings and .small trees. According to
Captain Feilden and Mr. Davison the flight is peculiar and
noiseless — the blows given by the bill when tapping are loud
but slow, not quickly repeated like those of Brachypternus, Chryso-
eolaptes, and Hemilojilms. The call is not loud but is charac-
teristic, somewhat resembling a Jackdaw's. The nidilication has
not been observed.

999. Thriponax javensis. The Malay Black Woodpeclcer.

Picus javensis, Horsfield, Trans. Linn. Soc. xiii, p. 175 (1821).

Piciis leucogaster, Valeric. Diet. Sc. Nat. xl, p. 178 (1826).

Hemilophus javensis, Blyth, Cat. p. 55.

Mulleripicus javensis, Horsf. ^ M. Cat. ii, p. 652.

Thriponax javensis, Blyth, Birds Burm. p. 75 ; Hume, S. F. iii,

p. 319 ; id. Cat. no. 169 quat. ; Hume 8f Dav. S. F. vi, p. 135 ;

Oates, B. B. ii, p. 27 ; Hargitt, Ibis, 1885, p. 145 ; id. Cat. B. M.

xviii, p. 498.

Coloration. Male. Forehead, crown, nape, and a large malar
patch crimson ; lower breast, abdomen, flanks, axillaries, and the
inner webs near the base of some of the quills, chiefly secondaries,
creamy white ; all the rest of the plumage black, small white
streaks intermixed on sides of neck behind ear-coverts, and on chin
and throat; sometimes a white tip to each of the outer primaries.

In ih.e female the crimson is confined to the occiput and nape.

Bill black, lower mandible plumbeous ; iris creamy white or
yellow ; orbital skin dark plumbeous ; legs and feet pale plumbeous
{Davison).

Length about 17 ; tail 7 ; wing 9 ; tarsus 1-4 ; bill from gape 2-4.

Distribution. The Malay Peninsula, ranging into the extreme
south of Tenasserim, also Sumatra, Java, Borneo, and several of
the Philippine Islands.

Habits, Sfc. Similar to those of T. feddeni.

PICUMNtJ.?. 75

1000, Thriponax hodgii. The Andaman Black Woodpecker.

Miilleripicus hodg'ei, Blyth, J. A. S. B. xxix, p. 105 (1860) ; Beavan,

Ibis, 1867, p. 320 ; Ball, J.A.S. B. xxxix, pt. 2, p. 241 ; xli, pt. 2,

p. 279 ; id. S. F. i, p. 63.
Thriponax hodgei, Walden, Ibis, 1873, p. 301 ; Hume, S. F. ii, p. ISO;

id. Cat. no. 169 bis ; Harcjitt, Ibis, 1885, p. 142 ; id. Cat. B. M.

xviii, p. 502.

Coloration. The forehead, crown, nape, and malar patch crimson
in the male, occiput and nape only in the female, all the rest of
the plumage black.

Bill black, in some specimens, not in all, whitish and semi-
transparent at the tip ; irides pale yellow ; legs, feet, and claws
blackish plumbeous (Hume).

Length about 15 ; tail 6 ; wing 7'5 ; tarsus 1*3 ; bill from
gape 1-9.

Distribution. The Andaman Islands.

Habits, 4'C: This Woodpecker is said by Davison to keep to the
larger trees, to have a shrill rasping whistle, and to make a great
noise tapping. He shot the young well gi-own at the end of
March.

Picus or DrijoGopus ma7'tius was at one time believed by Hume
to inhabit part of the Khirthar range, Sind. I have been all over
the range, which is very barren and treeless, and there is no part
suited for this bird ; moreover I ascertained when in Sind that the
native story told to Mr. Hume about the occurrence of a black
Woodpecker (S. F. i, pp. 129, 171) at Dharyaro was a hoax.

Subfamily PICUMNINtE.

This subfamily consists of the smallest forms of the group,
distinguished by having flexible tail-feathers and short tails, by then'
nostrils being always covered with dense plumes and bristles, and,
according to Mr. W. Kitchen Parker, by a less developed type of
palatal structiu'e. The Picumnime or Piculets, as they have been
called, climb less and perch more than the true Woodpeckers,
which, however, they resemble in food and in nidification. They
are foimd in the Oriental region, Africa, and South America.
Two genera are Indian.

Key to the Genera.

Toes 4 ; orbital region feathered Picumnus, p. 75.

Toes 3 ; orbital region naked Sasia, p. 77.

Genus PICUMNUS, Temminck, 1825.

Size small. Bill conical, compressed, pointed, the culmen slightly
curved and angulate, the nostrils and chin-angle concealed by dense

76 piciB^.

plumes with black bristles projecting. Wing and tail rounded.
Toes 4. Orbits feathered. Plumage soft, lax, and elongate.

A large genus comprising S3 species, of which all but two are
South American ; one inhabits China, and one is Indian.

1001. Picunmus innominatus. The Speckled Piculet.

Picumnus innominatus, Burton, P. Z. S. 1835, p. 154 ; Blyth, Cat.

p. 65 ; Haryitt, Cat. B. M. xviii, p. 549 ; Oates in Hu7nes N. Sj- E.

2nd ed. ii, p. 316.
Vivia nipalensis, Hodgson, J. A. S. B. vi, p. 107 (1837).
Vivia innominata, Horsf. (^- M. Cut. ii, p. 677 ; Jerdon, B. I. i,

p. 300 ; Stoliczka, J. A. S. B. xxxvii, pt. 2, p. 21 ; Godw.-Aust.

J. A. S. B. xxxix, pt. 2, p. 97; Bli/th ^ Wald. Birds Burrn.

p. 78 ; Hume, S. F. v, p. 351 ; xi, p. 64 ; id. Cat. no. 186 ; Scully,

>S. F. viii, p. 250 ; Hargitt, Ibis, 1881, p. 223 ; id. Cat. B. M. xyiii,

p. 549 ; Bingham, S. F. ix, p. 165 ; Inglis, ibid. p. 247 ; Davison,

S. F. X, p. 357 ; Oates, B. B. ii, p. 24.

Wi-ivij Nepal ; Dang-chim, Lepclia.

Fig. 20. — Head of P. innominatus.

Coloration. Male. Nasal plumes yellowish white, with black
bristles projecting ; forehead olive ; sincipital feathers black with
reddish-orange borders, occiput and hind neck olive ; a broad band
from the eye down the side of the neck blackish olive ; a malar
stripe the same but mixed with white ; two yellowish-white bands
down each side of the neck, one from above the eye, the other
below the eye and ear-coverts, and including the lores ; back,
scapulars, and rump bright yellow-olive ; ovitside of wings the
same, becoming duller on the coverts ; inside of quills brown ;
yellowish white on the inner margins ; tail blackish brown, inner
webs of middle pair of feathers white, each feather of the two
outer large pairs and the small outermost pair with a broad oblique
white bar close to the tip ; chin and throat white, breast and
abdomen pale yellow, all with large black spots ; flanks barred ;
wing-lining white.

Female. The whole crown olive.

Bill plumbeous black ; irides brown ; feet dark plumbeous
{Scully).

Length about 4 ; tail 1*4 ; wing 2*3 ; tarsus •52 ; bill from
gape 05.

Distrihution. Throughout the Himalayas as far west as Murree,
ranging from about 1500 to 6000, or even in places, according to
Stoliczka, 9000 feet above the sea. This species has also been

SASIA, 77

found very rarely in the hills of Southern India near the west
coast, by Mr. J. Darling in the Wynaad, and by Mr. W. Davison
below Kotagiri on the Nilgiris. To the eastward it is found in
Assam, Cachar, and Manipur, and veiy sparingly in Burma, the
Malay Peninsula, and Sumatra. In Burma it has hitherto only
been recorded from Karennee by Wardlaw Eamsay, and from
Tenasserim by Blyth and Bingham.

Habits, 4'c. According to Jerdon this bird is found in tangled
brushwood and among dead and fallen trees in damp spots. Scully,
however, observed it on trees near Katmandu. To the eastward
it haunts bamboos. It feeds on various insects, and, according
to Mr. E. Thompson, on the eggs and larvae of wood-boring
beetles. It breeds in April and May, making a hole precisely like
that of a typical Woodpecker, sometimes in the stem, sometimes
in a branch of a tree, and laying usually three eggs, oval, white,
and very glossy, measuring on an average '6 by 'o.

Genus SASIA, Hodgson, 1836.

This genus of Piculets differs from Picicmnus in wanting the
first (inner hind) toe, and in having a naked space round each
orbit, and a very short tail. The culmen is more rounded. The
coloration, too, differs greatly from that of Picumnus..

Three species are known — one is Himalayan and Burmese, the
other two Malay.

1002. Sasia ochracea. The Eufous Picuht.

Sasia ochracea, Hodgs. J. A. S. B. v, p. 778 (1836) ; Blyth, Cat.

p. 65 ; Horsf. ^ M. Cat. ii, p. 678 ; Jerdon, B. I. \, p. 301 ; id.

Ibis, 1872, p. iO ; Godiv.-Aust. J. A. S. B. xxxix, pt. 2, p. 97 ;

xlv, pt. 2, p. 70 ; Blyth Si Wald. Birds Burm. p. 78 ; Hume &,■

Oates, S. F. iii, p. 75 ; Hume ^- Dav. S. F. vi, p. 148 ; Hume, Cat.

no. 187 ; id. S. F. xi, p. 65 ; Imjlis, S. F. ix, p. 247 ; Hargitt, Ibis.

1881, p. 231 ; id. Cat. B. M. xviii, p. 555 ; Oates, B. B. ii, p. 26 :

id. in Hume's N. Sf E. 2nd ed. ii, p. 317.
Oomeris (Sasia) ochracea, Hodgs. Gray's Zool. Misc. p. 85 (1844).
Microcolaptes ochraceus, Blyth, J. A. S. B. xiv, p. 191.

Sasya, Nepal ; Chim, Lepclia.

Coloration. Male. Nasal plumes and forehead golden yellow,
the former terminating in long black bristles, the yellow shading
into rufous on the sinciput ; occiput and nape olive ; lores light
grey ; a white supercihum cari'ied back some distance from above
the eye ; back, scapidars, and edges of tertiaries rufous olive, re-
mainder of outer surface of wing pure olive ; rump bright orange-
brown ; quills (except the outer edges) brown with whitish innei-
margins ; tertiaries pale brown : upper tail-coverts and tail black ;
lower parts orange-brown (brownish ferruginous), occasionally
brownish yellow, sides of neck and hind neck rather more rufous :
wing-lining yellowish ^^•hite ; edge of wing buff.

78 piciD^.

In the female the forehead and sinciput are brownish rufous,
like the hind neck.

Upper mandible dark brown, lower plumbeous ; iins crimson,
orbits dusky red ; legs yellowish red (Oates).

Length 3-4 ; tail 1 ; wing 2-1 ; tarsus -55 ; bill from gape '55.

Distribution. The Himalayas in Nepal, and further eastward ;
Assam, Tip])erah, Sylhet, Cachar, Manipur, and throughout Bm^ma,
but not, so far as is known, farther south, this species being
replaced in the Malay Peninsula by iS. abnormis. In Sikkim
S. ochracea is foinid between 1000 and 6000 feet.

Habits, Sfc. This little Woodpecker is usually solitary or in
pairs ; it haunts brushwood and bamboos in forest, and, like Picum-
nus innoniinatus, often makes its presence known by the noise it
produces by tapping on bamboos. It lives on various insects,
partly, at all events, on Coleoptera. Its eggs have been found in
Sikhim by Mr, Gammie, amongst others, in June and July. It
makes a hole, sometimes in the stem of a tree, sometimes in a
bamboo. The eggs are white and measure about -GS by '5.

Subfamily lYNGIN^.

Tail-feathers soft, flexible ; tail about three quarters the length
of the wing or more ; nostrils not covered by plumes, but partially
covered by a membrane.

This subfamily contains the "Wrynecks, which form a single
genus.

Genus lYNX, Linn., 1766.

Bill of moderate length, conical, compressed ; nostrils large, near
the culmen ; wing pointed ; plumage soft, brownish grey in colom',
minutely speckled. Sexes alike.

Eour species are known, three of which are confined to Africa ;
the fom-th is a migratory bird, visiting India and Burma in
winter.

1003. lynx torquilla. The Common Wryneck.

Yunx torqiiilla, Linn. Syst. Nat. i, p. 172 (1766) Bhjth, J. A. S. B.

xvi, p. 467 ; id. Cat. p. 65 ; Horsf. ^ M. Cat. ii, p. 679 ; Jerdo7i,

B. I. i, p. 303; Stoliczka, J. A. S. B. xxxvii, pt. 2, p. 22; id.

S. F. ii, p. 461 ; Brooks, J.A.S. B. xli, pt. 2, p. 74; Butler, S. F.

'in, p. 459 ; v, p. 227 ; ix, p. 386 ; Ball, S. F. vii, p. 206 ; Hume,

Cat. no. 188 ; Barnes, Birds Bom. p. 120.
Jynx torquilla, Bh/fh, Ibis, 1866, pp. 356, 357.
lynx tox({va\\?i, Jiidduljih, Ibis,\d>&\., p. 49; Scully, ibid. p. 4.30;

Oates, B. B. ii, p. 23 ; Hume, S. F. xi, p. 65 ; Hargitt, Cat. B. M.

xviii, p. 560; Salvadori, Ann. Mus. Civ. Gen. (2) vii, p. 380;

Oates in Hmus N. Sf E. 2nd ed. ii, p. 318 ; Sharpe, Yark. Miss.,

Aves, p. 110.

Gar dan eyengtha, H. ; Meda nulingadii, Tam.

lYNX. 79

Coloration. Above brownish grey, finely speckled and mottled :
a dark brown patch, unevenly coloured, from nape to middle of
back, another across the coverts of each wing, a few longitudinal
dark streaks on the lower back and rump, and some imperfect
ocelli on the wing-coverts ; quills brown, with numerous rufous
spots on both webs ; tail with narrow wavy black cross-bands ;

Fig. 21. — Head of /. torquilla.

sides of head, throat, and fore neck pale rufous with dark cross-
lines, a dark patch on the ear-coverts ; breast and abdomen white,
with aiTow-head-shaped dark marks.

Bill brown, iris hazel; legs and feet greenish brown (Oates).

Length 7'5 ; tail 2*8 ; wing 3-4 ; tarsus -8 ; bill from gape -85.

Distribution. A winter vistor to the plains of India and Burma,
tjxtending south to Madras (Jerdon) and Belgaum (Butler), and in
Burma to Pegu (Oates) and Karennee (Wardlaiu Ramsay, Fea).
Not recorded from the Malabar coast, Ceylon, nor Tenasserim.
Found in summer in Kashmir and Gilgit. Outside of India the
Wryneck is found in summer throughout the greater part of
Europe, Central and Northern Asia, and in winter in parts of
Africa.

Habits, ^c. The "Wryneck is generally seen on low trees or
bushes or in high grass. It feeds on various insects, chiefly ants,
which it sometimes captures on the ground. It has a peculiar
plaintive call. It but rarely climbs trees like a Woodpecker,
pressing its tail against the bark, though it has been seen to do so.
The name is derived from a habit it has of twisting its head round.
It has not been known to breed in the plains of India, but Brooks
and Stoliczka have found it nesting in Kashmir. The eggs are
laid in Europe about May in a hole not always made by the bird,
often in a lime-tree. The hole is not lined. The eggs are white,
7 to 12 in number, and measiu:*e about -81 by -64.

Yunx' iyidica, Gould (Jerdon, B. I. i, p. 304), is now known to
have been founded on a specimen of an African species, I.pectoralis.
The supposed Afghan or Tibetan locality must have been a
mistake.

Orderly. ZYGODACTYLI.

The second order of Picarian birds comprises the Indicators or
Honey-guides, the Barbets, and the Toucans {Eliamphastida?), the

last being peculiar to South America,
All of these have zygodactyle feet
like Woodpeckers, with the first
and fourth toes directed backwards,
and the picine arrangement of the
deep plantar tendons, the flexor
perforans dir/itorum running to the
third toe only, whilst the first,
second, and fourth toes are sup-
plied by branches of the flexor
lonf/us Jiallucis, as shown in the
accompanying figure by Garrod.
The muscles of the thigh, too, in
the present group, present the same
arrangement as in Pici ; the spinal
feather-tract is similarly disposed,
the oil-gland is tufted, and there
are no caeca. The nidification, too,
is similar.

On the other hand, the vomer in
the present group, instead of being
represented by a number of paired
rods, is single and bifurcate, and
the palate is either truly desmo-
gnathous, the maxillo - palatines
blending across the middle line, or
segithognathous. The sternum, too,
presents some characteristic differ-
ences, being much broader, especi-
ally in front, in proportion to its
length, and the breadth in front
being nearly the same as that
; the foramina or notches on the
posterior border are deeper, the manubrium or rostrum sterni is
pointed and not bifid, and the clavicles do not meet to form a
furcula. Tongue of ordinary structure, not protrusile.

The two Indian families of this order are thus distinguished
(the characters do not apply to some African forms) : —

Tail-feathers 12 ; primaries 9 Indicatoridse.

Tail-feathers 10 ; primaries 10 Capitonidae.

Fig. 22. — Tarsus and foot of Mega-
Icema asiafica from behind, dis-
sected to show the deep plantar
tendons, the f. long, hallucis on
the right in the upper part of
the figure, the /. perf. digitorum
on the left. (Garrod, P. Z. S.
1875, p. 346.)

behind, instead of much less

INDICATOEID^. 81

Family INDICATORID^.

Bill stout, short. Tail-feathers 12 (except in one aberrant
African genus). Wing long and pointed ; only 9 primaries ; no
short primary, the first nearly as long as the second. Ventral
feather-tract forked on the throat, but not on each side of the
breast.

Ethiopian and Oriental regions. A single genus is found in
India.

Genus INDICATOR, Vieillot, 1816.

Tarsus short, all toes well-developed, 3rd (outer anterior) longer
than 4th (outer posterior). Bill finch-like ; culmen rounded, the
profile considerably curved ; no nasal plumes nor rictal bristles ;
nostrils large, subtriangular, partly covered by a membrane. Tail
somewhat graduated, the outer pair of rectrices in several species,
as in the Indian one, considerably shorter and narrower.

This genus contains several African species and the only two
Oriental members of the family ; one of these is Himalayan, the
other, /. archipelagicus, is Malayan, not ranging into Tenasserim.

The African Indicators frequently point out the position of
bees' nests, and hence have received the name of Honey -guides.
Throughout Africa these birds are said to lead men to bees' nests
for the sake of sharing in the spoil. Nothing is known of similar
habits in the Indian and Malay species, though they appear, like
the African, to feed on hymenoptera. The Honey-gaides, like
Woodpeckers and Barbets, lay white eggs in a hole in the stem or
branch of a ti-ee, but they are said to utilize an old nest-hole of a
Barbet or Woodpecker for the purpose.

1004. Indicator xanthonotus. The Yellow-hacked Honey-guide.

Indicator xanthonotus, BlytJi, J. A. S. B. xi, p. 166 (1842) j xii,
p. 942, pi. ; xiv, p. 198 ; id. Cat. p. 65 ; Jerdon, III. Ind. Orn.
pi. 50 ; id. B. I. i, p. 306 ; id. Ibis, 1872, p. 10 ; Hmne, S. F. i,
p. 313 ; Stoliczka, ibid. p. 425 ; Hume, Cat. no. 190 ; Shelley, Cat.
B. M. xix, p. 3; Shavpe, Yark. Miss., Aves, p. 108.

Indicator radclifR, Hume, Ibis, 1870, p. 529 ; Jerdon, Ibis, 1872,
p. 10.

Pseudofringilla xanthonotus, Hume, S. F. i, p. 314 (1873),

Pseudospiza xanthonota, Sharpie, Roioley's Orn. Misc. i, p. 207.

Coloration. Broad forehead, edges of a few sincipital feathers,
and cheeks golden yellow; crown and sides of head including
area round the eyes, back and sides of neck dusky yellowish olive,
feathers of the crown with dark centres ; feathers of upper back and
scapulars, wing-coverts and quills blackish brown, all except the
primaries and their coverts narrowly fringed with yellowish olive ;

VOL. III. G

82 capitonidjG.

inner webs of secondaries and tertiaries with whitish margins -,
middle of back pure yellow, lower back and rump orange-yellow;
upper tail-coverts and tail-feathers blackish brown, except the
outermost (shorter) tail-feathers, which are paler and greyer ; lower

Pig. 23. — Head of I. xanthonottis.

parts dark grey ; the chin, throat, and fore neck tinged with yellow ;
breast and abdomen with blackish shaft-streaks, broader behind
vent • feathers and under tail-coverts blackish with pale edges ;
wing-lining whitish, edge of wing bulf.

Bill yellow, ashy towards the tip ; iris dark brown ; naked orbital
area pale green ; feet pale greenish horny {StoUczIca).

Length about 6 ; wing 3-8 ; tail 2-4 ; tarsus -6 ; bill from gape -5.

Distribution. This species, which is very rare, has hitherto been
found only in the Himalayas, in Sikhira, and also near Murree and
Abbottabad, but nowhere in the intervening area.

Habits, 4"C. The only published observations are by Stoliczka,
who shot a male close to Dungagali near Murree. This bird had
a heavy flight like Iler/alcema, and in the stomach were several
specimens of a predatory wasp and a small quantity of green
vegetable matter.

Family CAPITONID^E.

Bill as a rule stout and strong. Nostrils at base of bill, often
overhung by plumes and bristles. Eictal and chin bristles often
largely developed. Ventral feather-tract forked on the throat and
on each side of the breast. Tail-feathers 10. Wing rounded in all
Indian forms, and with 10 primaries, the first short.

Key to the Genera.

a. No green on plumage ; no rictal bristles . . Calorhamphus, p. 83,
h Prevailing colour green; long rictal bristles.

a'. Lower tail-coverts red Megal^ma, p. 84.

b'. Lower tail-coverts green.

a". 2nd primary shorter than 10th.
a\ Head, neck, and breast brown,

more or less streaked Thereiceeyx, p. 86.

C^LLOIiHAMPnUS. 83'

p. Head and neck with bright colours.

rt '. Ouhnen longer than tarsus .... Chotorhea, p. 90.

bK Culmen not longer thaa tarsus . . Cyanops, p. 92,

b". 2nd primary longer than 8th Xanthol^ma, p. 97.

The Barbets are mainly fruit-eating birds. In the stomachs of
the African species that I examined in Abyssinia I found insects
in considerable quantities; but although some of the Indian species
are occasionally insectivorous, none of them, with the exception of
Calorliamplms, feed much on insect food. Indian species, with
the same exception, have a peculiar call of one, two, or three
syllables, repeated in a singularly monotonous manner for several
minutes, then ceasing for a time, and recommencing after an
interval. The calls of two or more birds are frequently heard
together, the pitch of each bird's note being different. It is often
very difficult to tell in ^hich dii'ection precisely a bird is calling, and
both the direction and distance appear to vary as the bird turns
its head in different ways. Each bird, in the act of calling, nods
its head in a peculiar manner. All Barbets, so far as is known,
excavate nest-holes in trees not unlike those made by Wood-
peckers ; the entrance small, generally very well rounded and neatly
bevelled, and the inside larger and well smoothed. The eggs, which
are white but not so glossy as those of Woodpeckers, are laid on
the bare wood, or on a few chips. AYhen making their nest-holes
these birds tap to detach the wood, but the action is much slower
than that of Woodpeckers.

As a rule Barbets perch, and they do not, commonly at all
events, climb stems or branches as Woodpeckers do, but they
sometimes cling to a vertical tree. Their flight is undulating,,
but strong and moderately rapid.

In the plumage of all Indian species, except Calorliamplius hayi,
green predominates. The sexes are generally alike.

Genus CALORHAMPHUS, Lesson, 1839.

Bill stout, culmen much curved, sharply angulate, upper
mandible not swollen at the base ; nostrils partly overhung, but
not concealed, by feathers and a few bristles ; no bristles on chin ;
feathers of crown with coarse shafts, of which the ends are pro-
longed as free bristles. Wings rounded, tail slightly rounded.
Sexes alike except in the colour of the bill.

A genus of two small dull-coloured species, brown above,
whitish below, confined to the Malay countries. One is found
in Southern Tenasserim.

1005. Calorhamphus hayi. The Broivn Barhet.

Bucco hayi, Grmj, Zool. Misc. p. 33 (1831).

Megalorhynchus hayii, Blyth, Cat. p. 69; Horsf. ^ M. Cat. \\,
p. 048.

g2

:84 CAPITONID^.

Calorhamplius latliami, Marshall, Mon. Cap. p. 179, pi. 72 ; nee

Bucco lathami, Ginel.
Calorhampbus hayii, Hume, 8. F. \\i, p. 319 ; d. Cat. no. 190 bis ;

Hume 8f Dav. S. F. vi, p. 149 ; Oates, B. B. \\, p. 138 ; Shelley,

Cat. B. M. xix, p. 50.

Coloration. Upper parts throughout dark brown, the feathers of
the crown with black shafts and narrowly edged with rufous,
those of the mantle with narrow yellow edges, which are more
conspicuous on the upper tail-coverts; these pale fringes disappear
with wear ; quills and tail-feathers also dark brown, the quills with
fulvous inner margins ; sides of head dark brown like the crown,
becoming paler and reddish in the malar i-egion ; chiu and throat
still paler rufous, remainder of lower parts sullied yellowish white.

Bill black in the male, dull reddish brown in the female ; irides
dull red or brownish red ; legs and feet orange, claws black
(^Davisoii).

Length 7"25 ; tail 2 ; wing 3"25 ; tarsus -85 ; bill from gape 1-2.

Distribution. From the southernmost part of Tenasserim through-
out the Malay Peninsula to Sumatra.

Habits, Sfc. According to Davison this is a forest bird, usually
seen in small parties of three or four, hunting about the branches
and leaves of trees, clinging in all positions like a Tit, and feeding
on insects as much as fruits. It has a most peculiar note, a low
soft whistle.

Genus MEGAL^MA, G. R. Gray, 1842.

Bill large, culmen rounded, not angulate, much curved, upper
mandible considerably swollen at the base and overlapping the
lower ; nostrils completely covered by plumes and bristles, base of
bill surrounded by bristles not so long as the bill ; wings rounded ;
tail square. Sexes alike.

This genus as restricted comprises three species of large size,
two of which are found within our area ; the third. If. lagrandieri,
occurs in Cochin China. The prevailing colour is green. The
under tail-coverts are bright red.

Key to the Species.

Head and neck deep violet-blue M. marshallorum, p. 84.

Head and neck vercliter with a greenish tinge. M. virens, p. 86.

1006. MegalsBina marshallorum. The Great Himalayan Barhet.

Mefjalaima virens, Blyth, Cat. p. 66 ; Horsf. Sf M. Cat. ii, p. 635 ;

Jerdon, B. I. i, p. 308 ; Stoliczka, J. A. S. B. xxxvii, pt. 2, p. 22 ;

Beavan, Ibis, 1869, j). 415.; Godw.-Atist. J. A. S. B. xxxix, pt. 2,

p. 97 ; Marshall, Mon. Cap. p. 33, pi. xvi. ; nee Bucco virens,

Bodd.
Megalaema marsballorum, Stvinhoe, A. M. N. H. (4) vi, p. 348

(1870) ; Jerdon, Ibis, 1872, p. 11 ; Cock ^ Marsh. S. F. i, p. 350 ;

MEGALiEMA. ^^

Blyth, Birds Burm. p. 73 ; Brooks S F.n\,y. 232 ; iZ-^«,^e Co^.
no 191 • id S F. xi, p. 66 ; Scully, S. F. viu, p. 250 ; C. H. I.
M^^lll^, 1884; p' 410; Oates^n Ru.n.s iV,j;^^nd ed u,
p. 318; hhelley, Cat. B. M. xix, p. 53; Sharpe, larl. Miss., Aves,
p. 108.
Traiho, H. Chamba; Miotdi, at Mussooree; Nyalml, Neoul, Nepalese ;
Kun-nyony, Lepcha.

Y\a. 24.— Hccad of M. marshaUormn.

Caloration Feathers of head and neck all round black with deep
vioMHue ed^^es back and scapulars brownish olive, the upper
back S nafrow pale green Iv greenish-yellow longitudinal
streaks lower back; rump, and upper tail-coverts grass-green
^brighter green edges/tail green f^^^^^^^^^^^^^:^,

1^ v.i,ia l-iplnvv secondary-coverts like back pinnaiy-covexts.
£ p^aries nen "e base fringed with blue, outer webs of
seconEes green, tertiaries bluer with the tips olive-brown,
rlaiX of%uills blackish brown, inner webs with yellowish-
wMte mar.°ns%nd outer webs of primaries with a pale linear

Si^n. Th.oughou?the Htoakya. as far .-est as Murree
between about 3000 and 8000 feet elevation, also south of the

'■86 CAPITONlDiE.

to the middle of July. The eggs are dull white, usually four in
number, and measure on an average 1'37 by '98.

1007. Megalaema virens. The Great CJdnese Barhet.

Bucco Tirens, Bodd. Tahl. PL Enl. p. 53 (178.3).

Megalsema virens, Hmne, 8. F. ii, p. 472 ; id. Cat. no. 191 bis ;

Hume 8f I)av. S. F. vi, p. 150 ; Binf/fiatn, S. -F. ix, pp. 165, 473 ;

Oates, B. B. ii, p. 130- ; id. iii Hume's N. Sf E. 2nd ed. ii, p. 319 ;

Shelki/, Cat. B. M. xix, p. 52 ; Salvadori, Ann. Mus. Civ. Gen.

(2) vii, p. 377.
Megalsema marshallorum, Walden, Birds Bur?n. p. 73; Wardl.

jRcmis. Ibis, 1877, p. 457 ; Oates, B. B. ii, p. 129 ; nee Sivinhue.

Similar to 3f. marsJialhnim, except that the colour of the head
and neck is verditer-blue with a greenish tinge, and that the pale
streaks on the upper back are much fewer, less marked, and
whitish or bluish, not green or yellow ; the median wing-coverts
too are tinged with red. Soft parts and dimensions as in
M. marshallorum.

Distribution. Karennee and hill-forests of northern Tenasserim
as far south as Muleyit, east of Moulmein, extending thence into
South China.

Hahits, ^T. Similar to those of M. marshallorum. The eggs
were found by Major Bingham in Tenasserim during February
and March.

Genus THEREICERYX, Blanford, 1893.

Bill shaped somewhat as in Megalcema, but the upper mandible
is not quite so high, and the bill is generally pale yellowish
throughout. Nostrils exposed. Wiug rounded. The plumage is
peculiar ; the head, neck, and breast are brown, more or less
streaked with white, the rest of the plumage green.

Three species are found within Indian limits, a fourth, T. jjlice-
ostictus {phcfostriatus), inhabits Cochin Chiua. The members of
this small group have hitherto been referred by various writers
■either to Megalcema or to Cyanojys.

Key to the Sijecies.

a. A large naked orbital space extending to gape . T. zeyhniais, p. 86.
h. Orbital space smaller, not extending to gape.

a' . Wing about 5" T. lineatus, p. 88.

b'. Wing about 4" T. viridis, p. 89.

1008. Thereiceryx zeylonicus. The Common Indian Green
Barhet.

Bucco zeylanicus, Gmel. Syst. Nat. i, p. 408 (1788) ; BIyth, J. A. S. B.

XV, pp! 13, 282.
Bucco caniceps, FranJilin, P. Z. S. 1831, p. 121.

THEaElCERTX.

87

mSILI %taici*i5;^. * M. C„«.'ii, p. 638; iJo««»-«,

V -n 413- vii, p. 206; More/an, Ibis, 187o, p. cii4, ttume, vai.

*';^r;i"rSi?2'i"il P.'309-; «. C». -o. ids te.;
Legge, Birds Ceyl. ^. 208 ]A. X (1870):

li pp 332, 824; Shetln/, Cat. B. M. xix, pp. 76, 78.
Thei-eiceryx zeylonicus, lUtinf. Ibts, 1893, p. 237.

ne o.,«» 6W» £«*(, J«t oL„Sdi?"Xt', H.'(lolSd
^'n" '^Tm»W SX "■ Beuf Maubllnf »»-k Maljr. ;
•^l?tL;^ai"; e.SfW,<«»,°Tel.; i'o^.., Cmg. ; A„.».-.
Tamil (Ceylon).

pig_ 25.— Head of T. zeylonicus.
A large naked space round the eye extending to the gape, lores

times the upper abdomeu, brown, the feathers with "riow pa 9
S«ripes"the pale ^^-^aft. gene^l T --P-»;» * S

«tag,eoverts more or ^'^^^'^f '^ grten th» taU

.end.

88 CAPITONIDiE.

Bill pale orange-brown ; iris red-brown ; bare orbital skin dull'
orange ; legs light yellowish brown (Jerdon).

Length 10-5 ; tail 3-2 ; wing 4'7 ; tarsus 1-25 ; bill from gape 1-8.
Ceylon and Tranvancore birds run smaller, wing about 4*4.

Distribution. Almost throughout India and Ceylon. Common
at the base of the Western Himalayas in the Dehra Dun and
Eohilcund Terai, throughout the North-west Provinces and the
wooded parts of Central India, Eastern Guzerat, the Central
Provinces, and South-western Bengal, the forest-tracts between the
Ganges and Godavari, some of the better wooded regions of the
Madras Presidency, and near the Malabar coast ; wanting in the
Punjab and Sind, in Eajputana except around Mount Abu, in
Lower Bengal, and, I believe, in the open parts of the Deccan and
Carnatic. In Ceylon this Barbet inhabits most of the low country
and the lower hills, except close to the sea-shore, or in dense damp
forest.

As in so many other cases, the Southern bird from Ceylon
and Travancore is rather smaller and darker. This is typical
T. zeylonicus. The North Indian bird canicejis is larger and slightly
paler. The intermediate form from the Bombay coast has been
separated as inomata. I can discover no constant distinction :
some freshly moulted northern forms are quite as dark in colour
as Ceylonese, and in the British Museum collection there is a
female Ceylon skin with the wing 4-6 long, and a female Allahabad
specimen with the wing measuring 4*5, both being adult and
thoroughly good specimens.

Habits, Sfc. Like other Indian Barbets, this species lives chiefly
upon fruit and seeds, and especially on the figs of the banyan
and other kinds of Ficus. It is said, however, occasionally though
rarely to eat insects, and Layard has related how an individual,
kept in captivity, killed and swallowed small birds (Munias), its
fellow-captives. The best known characteristic of this Barbet is its
loud dissyllabic call, which Jerdon represents as hiitiir, hotur Tcotur,
preceded by a harsh sort of laugh ; this call is heard from January
or February till June. Each bird continues to call for some time,
frequently even on moonlight nights. The flight is strong but
heavy and somewhat undulating. In Northern India the breeding-
season is chiefly in March and April ; 3 or 4 eggs are laid in a hole
hollowed by the bird itself in a tree. The eggs are dull white,-
slightly glossy, and measure about 1'21 by "88.

1009. Thereiceryx lineatus. The Limated Barbet.

Capito lineatus, Vieill. Nouv. Diet. cfHist. Nat. iv, p. 500 (1816).
Megakima lineata, Dlyth, Cat. p. 66 ; Horsf. ^- M. Cat. ii, p. 636 ;

Jerdon, B. I. i, p. 309.
Megalaima hodgsoni, Bonap. Consp. Av. i, p. 144 (1850j.
Megalaima macclellandi, Moore, Horsf. &)• M. Cat. ii, p. 637.
Megatema hodgsoni, Blyth, Ibis, 1866, p. 358 ; Walden, P. Z. S.

1866, p. 540 ; Stoliczka, J. A . S. B. xxxvii, pt. 2, p. 22 ; Marshall,-

THEREICEEYX. 89

Mem. Cap. p. 85, pi. 36 ; Hume, S. F. iii, p. 75 ; id. Cat. no. 192 ;

Blyth Sj- Wald. Birds Bttrm. p. 73 ; Hu?ne ^- Dav. S. F. vi, p. 151 ;

Anders. Yimnaii Exped., Aves, p. 583 ; Scully, S. F. viii, p. 251 ;

Salvadoi'i, Ann. Mus. Civ. (2) iv, p. 577 ; v, p. 561 ; Hume, S. F.

xi, p. 67.
Megalasma lineata, Marshall, Mon. Cap. p. 88, pi. 37.
Cyauops hodgsoni, Oates, B. B. n, p. 132.
Cyanops lineata, Ontes in Hume's N. l^ E. 2nd ed. ii, p. 325 : Shelley,

Cat. B. M. xix, p. 80.

Dang kun-nyony , Lepcha ; Kudurta, Khotoor, Nepal ; Pho-gouny,
Burmese.

Naked space round eye much smaller thau in T. zeylonicus and
not extending to gape.

Coloration. Crown and nape brown, with rather broad white
shaft-stripes; upper plumage from the neck grass-green; feathers
of the upper back with narrow white shafts ; lores and cheeks
whitish ; ear-coverts whity brown ; chin and throat white ; sides
of neck, breast, and upper abdomen coloured like the crown, but
the white shaft-stripes on the breast are much broader ; lower
abdomen and under tail-coverts light green, the feathers with
broad whitish median stripes ; quills dark brown, with pale yellow
inner margins ; primaries with pale outer borders near the tips ;
tail washed with light blue below.

Bill horny yellow ; orbits deep yellow; irides brown; feet fleshy
yellow (Scully).

Length 11 ; tail 3-3 ; wing 5-1 ; tarsus 1*25 ; bill from gape 1*7.
These are the dimensions of Eastern Himalayan and Burmese birds ;
Western Himalayan are larger, Malay specimens smaller.

Distribution. Throughout the Lower Himalayas as far west as
the Sutlej, not ascending more than 2000 or 3000 feet, and east-
ward to Yunnan ; also in Assam, and to the southward throughout
Burma, in Siam and Cambodia, and in Java, but not in the Malay
Peninsula nor in Sumatra.

The original T. Uneatus is the Javan race, which is small (wing
about 4'6), whilst the big West Himalayan race (wing 5'3) has
been distinguished as 2Iegalcem,a hodgsoni; but, as Shelley has
shown, the Eastern Himalayan, Assamese, and Burmese birds are
intermediate in size. The case is similar to that of 2\ zeylonicus
and T. caniceps, the Southern race being smaller and darker, but
the distinction in size between T. Uneatus and T. Iwdysoni is much
greater.

Habits, Sfc. Similar to those of T. zeylonicus. The call is a
monotonous dissyllabic note. The eggs, four in number, are laid
in March and April, and measure about 1*27 by -87.

1010. Thereiceryx viridis. The Small Green Barbet.

Bucco viridis, Bodd. Tabl. PI. Enl. p. 53 (1783) ; Jerdon, Madr.
Jour. L. S. xi, p. 217 ; xiii, pt. 2, p. 139 ; id. III. Ind. Orv.
pi. xxvi ; Blyth, J. A. S. B. xv, p. 13.

90 CAPITONID^.

Megalaima viridis, Blyth, Cat. p. G7 ; Horsf. 8f M. Cat. ii, p. 639 ;

Jevdoii, B. I. I, p. 311 ; Davidson, S. F. x, p. 298; Barnes, Birds

Bom. p. 122.
Megalgema viridis, Marshall, Man. Cap. p. 81, pi. 3o; Morgan, Ibis,

1875, p. 315 ; Fairhank, S. F. iv, p. 255 ; v, p. 396 ; Hume <^-

Bourdillon, S. F. iv, p. 391 ; Hume, Cat. no. 194 ; Vidal, S. F.

ix, p. 54 ; Butler, S. F. ix, p. 387 ; Davison, S. F. x, p. 358 ;

Mac(jregor, ibid. p. 437 ; Taylor, ibid. p. 458.
Megalsema sykesi, Hayes Lloyd, Ibis, 1873, p. 125.
Cyanops viridis, Shelley, Cat. B. 31. xix, p. 83 ; Oates in Hume's

N. ^ E. 2nd ed. ii, p. 325.

Naked space round eye much smallei' than in T. zeyhnicus ; area
above the gape feathered.

Coloration. Head above and nape dark brown not striated ; hind
neck greener, the feathers pale-shafted ; sides of neck brown, with
pale shaft-stripes ; upper plumage from neck bright grass-green ;
sides of head, chin, and throat whitish, except the lores, a band
running back from the eye, and a narrower rather broken malar
stripe, which are dark brown ; breast whitish, the feathers with
dark-brown edges ; abdomen and under tail-coverts pale green ;
quills blackish brown, with pale buff inner margins ; primaries
pale-edged outside near tips ; lower surface of tail washed with
pale verditer-green.

Bill pale horny brown ; irides red-brown ; orbital skin brown ;
legs plumbeous brown (Jerdon) • orbital skin dusky slate ; legs
greenish plumbeous (Butler).

Length 9 ; tail 2-6 ; wing 4 ; tarsus 1*05 ; bill from gape 1'5,
Specimens from the North {Megalaima syhesii) average slightly
larger than those from Travancore.

Distribution. The Sahyadri and other ranges of hills near the
Malabar coast from the Tapti to Cape Comorin. This bird is
found up to the tops of the Nilgiris and Palnis.

Habits, Sfc. Very similar to those of T. zeyhnicus and T. lineatus.
Davison says this bird clings like a Woodpecker and taps (probably
only when cutting its nest-hole). The call is less loud than that of
T. zeyhnicus but similar. T. viridis breeds from February to
May, laying three or four eggs in a retort-shaped nest-hole ; the
eggs are white, only moderately glossy, and measure about 1"13
by -86.

Genus CHOTORHEA, Bonap., 1854.

To this genus belong six Malay Barbets distinguished as a ride
by brilliant coloration about the head and by having a black, some-
what elongate, but not high bill, the length of which is more than
twice the height. The culmen is considerably curved and much
exceeds the tarsus in length. The wing is rounded. Nostrils
exposed. A single species extends into Tenasserim. This has
been included by Shelley in Cyanoi^s, but I agree with Salvador!
and Oates in referring it to the present genus.

CHOTOBHEA. 91

1011. Chotorhea mystacophanes. The Gaudy Barhei.

Bucco mystacophanos, Temm. PL Cul. iii, pi. 315 (1824).

Bucco quadricolor, Eyton, P. Z. S, 1839, p. lOo.

Megalaima quadricolor, BJyth, Cat. p. 67.

Cbotorea mystacophaniis, Horsf. S,- M. Cat. ii, p. 641 ; Salvadori,
Ucc. Born. p. 34, pi. i ; Oates, B. B. ii, p. 130.

Megalfema mystacophaiies, Marshall^ Mon. Cap. p. 41, pi. 19 ;
Hume, S. F. ii, p. 472 ; id. Cat. no. 196 quat. ; Wakhn hiBlytKs
Birds Bunn. p. 74 ; Hume Sf Dav. S. F. vi, pp. 152, 502.

Cyanops mystacophanes, Shelley, Cat. B. M. xix, p. 72.

Coloration. Male. Broad forehead golden yellow ; vertex and
occiput, the latter narrowing behind, crimson, sometimes verging
on scarlet ; lores, chin, throat, and a patch on each side of the
fore neck the same ; a black supercilimn from the lores, much
broader behind the eye ; a few feathers between the black super-
cihum and yellow forehead, as also the sides of the face below the
eye, and the fore neck verditer-blue ; a yellow malar spot on each
side at the base of the lower mandible ; a bluish tinge on the
cheeks farther back ; wing-feathers, except on the outer surface
above, brown with pale yellow inner borders ; nnder wing-coverts
also yellowish ; some primaries pale-edged outside near the ends ;
under surface of tail washed with blue ; all the rest of the plumage
grass-green, duller and sometimes yeUower below ; ear-coverts
and sides of neck with a yellowish tinge ; feathers of hind neck
and sides of neck with brighter edges.

Kdiuhj females are said to resemble males, but if so, they appear
very rarely to attain the adult plumage, only one out of 18 sexed
female skins in tlie British Museum having the coloration of the
adult male. In young males and in females generally the black
eyebrow is absent, the forehead is bluish green, and the chin and
throat are first green, then yellow. The scarlet patch on the
hind crown is present from a rather early pei'iod. The change
from the livery of the 3'oung to fidl plumage is very irregidar in
different individuals, the same region not always acquiring the
adidt coloration first. Salvadori has ah'eady questioned the as-
sumption of the adult male plumage by females of this species.

Bill black (pale beneath in young birds) ; irides deep brown ;
orbital skin dark greenish or greyish brown ; legs and feet very
pale bluish or horny green.

Length 9-25 ; tail 2*3; wing 3*9 ; tarsus 1; bill from gape 1*75.

Distnhution. The Malay Peninsula, Sumatra, and Borneo, ex-
tending into the southern half of Tenasserim as far as the Henza
basin north of Tavoy.

Hahits, Sfc. This Barbet is chiefly found in evergreen forests,
and is very noisy, incessantly uttering its trisyllabic cry, especially
in the evening after dusk, and sometimes on moonlight nights.
Davison, Avho furnishes the preceding notes, adds that he has
frequently seen this bird clinging to the stem of a tree and tapping
like a Woodpecker.

92 CAPITOXIDiE.

Genus CYANOPS, Eonap., 1854.

Except the form of the bill, which is much shorter, wdth a les»
curved culmen, there is but little to distinguish this genus from
the last. The culmen is not longer than the tarsus, or if longer,
then very slightly so. The wiog is much rounded, the 2nd
primary being shorter than any other primary except the 1st, and
the 3rd shorter than the 4th. The plumage is chiefly green, the
head and neck being decorated with patches of bright colour, red,
yellow, or blue.

Twelve species are known, distributed over the Oriental region ;
of these seven occur within Indian limits.

Key to the Species.

a. Chin and throat bhie or bluish green.

a'. Crown red ; a black hand across vertex .... C. asiatiea, p. 92.

b' . Crown red ; a bhie band across vertex C. daviso7ii, p. 93.

c'. Crown bluish green ; narrow frontal band

crimson C. incognita, p. 94.

d'. Forehead and sinciput golden yellow; occiput

green C.Jiavifro7is, p. 94.

e'. Sinciput black ; occiput blue C. cyanotis, p. 95.

h. Chin and throat yellow and grey.

/'. Supercilium black C. franklini, p. 96.

g'. Supercilium mixed black and grey C. ramsayi, p. 97.

1012. Cyanops asiatiea. The Blue-throated Barhet.

Trogon asiaticus, Lath. Ind. Orn. i, p. 201 (1790).

Megalaima asiatiea, Blyth, Cat. p. 67.

Cyanops asiatiea, Bonap. Consp. Volucr. Zyqod. p. 12 ; Horsf. ^ M.
Cat. ii, p. 641 ; Jerd. B. I. i, p. 313 ; Godw.-Aust. J. A. >S. B.
xxxix, pt. 2, p. 98; xliii, pt. 2, p. 176; xlv, pt. 2, p. 70; Hume
8f Oates, S. F. iii, p. 77; Oates, B. B. ii, p. 133; id. in Hume's
N. 8f E. 2nd ed. ii, p 320; Shelley, Cat. B. M. xix, p. 62.

Megalsema asiatiea, Marshall, Man. Caj). p. 63, pi. 29 ; Blyth 8f
Wald. Birds Burm. p. 73 ; Inglis, 8. F. v, p. 27 ; Wardl.-liains.
Ibis, 1877, p. 457 ; Aiiders. Yunnan Exped., Aves, p. 584 ; Hujne
^ Dav. S. F. vi, p. 151 ; Hume, Cat. no. 195; Scully, S. F. viii,
p. 252; C. H T. Marshall, Ibis, 1884, p. 410; Hume, S. F. xi,
p. 67 ; Salvadori, Ann. 3Ius. Civ. Gen. (2) vii, p. 377 ; Hai-tert,
J.f. O. 1889, p. 429.

Burra bussunt bairi, Burra henebo, Beug. ; Corul, Mussalmans in
Bengal; Kat-taTx,l^e^cii&; RiUiirki,Bussanta,^Q^.; HiUuru7'u,Qh.?imbsi;
Kok-kha-loung, Burmese.

Coloration. Nasal plumes black ; a broad black band, with a
yellow anterior border, across the vertex ; anterior lores, forehead,
and remainder of crown crimson, the occiput bordered with black
on each side ; remainder of upper surface grass-green ; sides of
the head, extending all roimd the eye, chin, throat, and fore neck
pale verditer-blue, a large crimson spot on each side of the fore
neck, and a small crimson speck at each base of the lower

CTANOPS. 93

mandible; rest of lower parfs yellowish green; tail-feathers washed
beneath ^\•ith pale blue ; quills blackish brown, their inner border
and the wing-Hning yeUowish white ; a narrow whitish line on
the outer web of several primaries near the tip. In the young
the colours of the head are indistinct. Males from the Cachar
hills are said to have the mantle-feathers and upper tail-coverts
tipped with maroon and the under tail-coverts splashed with
vermilion.

Bill greenish yellow horny, black above; margins of eyehds
orange ; irides hazel-brown, brown, and reddish brown ; feet dingy
green, claws horny black (Sculli/).

Length about 9*2; tail '2-7 ; wing 4-1 ; tarsus 1-05; bill from
gape 1"4.

'■^i^

Fig. 26. — Head of C. asiatica.

Disti'ibution. Common throughout the Lower Himalayas and
sub-Himalayan forests up to 3500 or 4000 feet as far west as
Chamba, also in Lower Bengal, Assam, and the neighbouring
countries as far as the Khakyen hills in Yunnan to the eastward,
and south to Burma. This Barbet has been found by Gates in
the Arrakan and Pegu hills, by "Wardlaw-Eamsay in Karennee, and
by Davison in Northern Tenasserim about Pahpoon.

Habits, 4'C' A noisy, active bird, living on fruit, and having a
peculiar frequently-repeated trisyllabic call. It breeds in the
Himalayas in April and May, and generally lays three eggs in a
hole, which it excavates in the trunk or a bi'anch of a tree. As a
rule there is no lining, but in a very few instances a pad of vege-
table fibres or some other substance has been found. The eggs
are white, with little or no gloss, and measure about 1'09 by 'SS.

1013. Cyanops davisoni. Davison's Blue-throated Barhet.

Me<?alsema davisoni, Hume, S. F. v, p. 108 (1877) ; id. Cat. no. 195
bis ; Hume 8f JDav. S. F. vi, p. 151 ; BiiKjham, S. F. ix, p. 165 ;
Salvadori, Ann. Mus. Civ. Gen. (2) v, p. 562.

Cyanops davisoni, Oates, B. B. ii, p. 134 ; id. in Hume's N. ^ E.
'2nd ed. ii, p. 321 ; Shelley, Cat. B. M. xix, p. 65, pi. iv. fig. 1.

94 CAPIT0XID.5.

This species only diifers from C. asicitica in smaller size, in
having the band across the vertex verditer-blue instead of blacky
and with a blue line from the vertical band between the crimson
of the occiput and a black stripe that extends from above the blue
supercilium to over the ear-coverts.

Length 8-0 ; tail 2-5 ; wing 3-9 ; tarsus I'Oo ; bill from gape 1-3.

Distribution. Hitherto only found in Tenasserim about the base
of the main range of hills east and south-east of Moulmein.

Habits, Sfc. Precisely similar to those of C. asiatica. The eggs
were obtained by Major Bingham in March on two occasions.
In each case two Avhite, rather glossy eggs w^ere found, measuring
on an average 1"11 by -S.

1014. Cyanops incognita. Hume's Blue-tJi routed Barbel.

Megalaima incognita, Hume, S. F. ii, pp. 442, 472, 486 ; id. Cat.

no. 19o ter ; Walcl. in Blytlis Birds Biirm. p. 74 ; Hume 4" Dav.

S. F. vi, pp. 151, 501 ; Binyham, S. F. viii, p. 194 ; ix, p. 166.
Cyanops incognita. Gates, B. B. ii, p. 134 ; Shelley, Cat. B. M. xix,

p. 68, pi. iv, fig. 3 ; Sluiri^e, Yark. Miss., Aves, p. 152, pi. xxiv.

Coloration. Lores, a narrow frontal band, a nuchal patch, and a
spot on each side of the fore neck crimson ; upper surface grass-
green ; feathers of crown ^^ith pale bluish-green edges ; quills
blackish brown, the inner borders and the wing-lining yellow,
several orimaries with a narrow pale outer border near the tip ;
sides of head bluish green, a hne of very small bright yellow
feathers on the upper and lower eyelids, above these a black
supercilium continued back above the ear-coverts, another black
streak from the gape ; lower surface pale green, tinged with pale
verditer-blue on the malar region, chin, and throat ; lower surface
of tail dusky, washed with pale blue.

Upper mandible and tip of lower dusky horny, remainder of bill
paler ; eyelids the same ; irides nut-brown ; legs and feet grass-
green (Davison).

Length about 8*8 ; tail 2-3 ; wing 3-9 ; tarsus -95 ; bill from
gape 1*4.

Distribution. Tenasserim from near Amherst and Myawadee on
the north to Tavoy in the south. Eare and local.

Habits, ^'c. Similar to those of C. asiatica.

1015. Cyanops flavifrons. The Yellow -fronted Barbet.

Bucco flavifrons, Cuvier, Regne A?!, i, p. A28, note, ex Levaill. (1817).
Megaliema flavifrons, Blyth, Cat. p. 67 ; Layard, A. M. N. H. (2)

xiii, p. 447 (1854) ; Marshall, Mon. Cap. p. 69, pi. 30 ; Holdsicorth,

P. Z. S. 1872, p. 429 ; Hume, S. F. vii, p. 370 ; id. Cat. no. 196 ter :

Legye, Birds Ceyl. p. 212, pi. x.
Cyanops flavifrons, Blyth, H)is, 1867, p. 297 ; Shelley, Cat. B. M.

xix, p. 65 ; Gates in Hume's N. ^ E. 2nd ed. ii, p. 321.

Coloration. Broad forehead and a spot at each base of the lower

CTANOPS. 95

mandible golden yellow ; whole upper plumage dark grass-green,
the coronal feathers tipped with gold, and those of the occiput
and back and sides of the neck with whitish shaft-stripes ; quills
blackish brown, their inner margins and the wing-lining pale
yellow ; several primaries with a narrow pale outer border near the
tip ; lores, supercilia, sides of head below eye, ear-coverts, chin,
and throat verditer-blue ; remainder of lower surface of body pale
green, the bi-east-feathers with well-marked emerald-green borders ;
abdomen and flanks tinged with emerald-green ; lower surface of
tail-featl:iers blackish washed with pale verditer-blue.

Bill greenish horny, dusky at base of culmen ; iris light red ;
tarsi and feet sickly green, the tarsi in some bluish (Ler/(je).

Length 8-5 ; tail 2*3 ; wing 3-6 ; tarsus -95 ; bill from gape 1'2.

Distribution. Ceylon, chiefly in the hill-forests of the Xandyan
province up to about 6400 feet, but found also locally in the low
plains.

Habits, SfC. Very similar to those of other Barbets. This is an
active, noisy, fruit-eating bird, with a peculiar monotonous call,
monosyllabic according to Legge, who adds that this species makes
a nest-hole usually in a soft-wood tree, such as the cotton-tree
{Bombax\ and lays two or three smooth white eggs, measuring on
an average 1*11 by 'SI. It has apparently two broods in the year,
the breeding-season lasting from February to September.

1016, Cyanops cyanotis. The Blue-eared Barhet.

Bucco cyanotis, Blyth, J. A. S. B. xvi, p. 465 (1847).

Megalaema cyanotis, Marshall, Mon. Cap. p. 77, pi. 33. fig. 3 ; Blyth

(§• Wald. Birds Burm. p. 74 ; Inglis, S. F. v, p. 27 ; Hume S^- Dav.

S. F. vi, pp. 155, 502 ; Hume, Cat. no. 198 ter ; Bingham, S. F. ix,

p. 106 ; Hume, S. F. xi, p. 69 ; Sahadori, Ann. Mus. Civ. Gen.

(2) V, p. 564 ; vii, p. 378.
Cyanops cyauotis, Godiv.-Aust. J. A. S. B. xxxix, pt. 2, p. 98:

Jerdon, Ibis, 1872, p. 11.
Xantholisema cyanotis, Hume, S. F. lii, p. 77 ; Oates, B. B. \\,

p. 137.
Mesobucco cyanotis, Shelley, Cat. B. M. xix, p. 87 ; Oates in Hume^s

N. .§• E. 2nd ed. ii, p. 328.

Nyet-pa-din, Arrakan.

Size small, rictal bristles extending beyond end of bill.

Coloration. Feathers above nostrils white at base, those of lores
and forehead black, all fringed \vith pale blue ; sinciput black :
occiput cobalt-blue ; ear-coverts, chin, and throat light verditer-
blue, area below eye bright red, the feathers white at the base ; a
crimson patch above and another below the ear-coverts ; a black
malar stripe ; remainder of upper and lower plumage bright grass-
green except the bend of the wing, which is more or less blue, and
the quills, which are blackish brown with whitish inner margins ;
the tail-feathers are sometimes bluish green above with brighter
edges, and always washed with verditer below.

96 CAPITONID.i:,

Young birds are green throughout. In nearly adult specimens
the black sincipital feathers are tipped with blue.

Bill black ; base of lower mandible slightly tinged reddish horny ;
irides very dark brown ; legs and feet dirty green ; claws bluish
black (Davison).

Length about 6-5 ; tail 2-2 ; wing 3-25 ; tarsus -8 ; bill from
gape 1. Tenasserim birds are a little smaller.

Distrihdion. Eastern Himalayas (Sikhim), Assam, and hills to
the south, and throughout Burma. An allied but distinct species,
C. duvauccli, inhabits the Malay Peninsula, Sumatra, and Borneo.

Hahits, Sfc. This is chiefly a bird of dense evergreen hill forest,
and is usually seen on high trees. The note is peculiar, of two
syllables, harsh and metallic. The eggs have been found in
Tenasserim by Major Bingham in February and by Mr. Darling
in April, two or three in number, white, aud measuring about -93
by -67.

In size, coloration, and long rictal bristles this species approaches
XantJiolcema, but it has a rounded wing.

1017. Cyanops franklini. The Golden-throated Barhet.

Bucco franklinii, Blyth, J. A. S. B. xi, p. 167 (1842).

Bucco igniceps, Hodgson, Grai/s Zool. Misc. p. 85 (1844), descr.
nulla.

Megaljema frankliui, Blyth, Cat. p. 68 ; Godw.-Atist. J. A. S. B.
xlv, pt. 2, p. 70 ; Marshall, 3Ion. CajJ. p. 51, pi. 24 ; Hume,
Cat. no. 196 ; id. S. F. xi, p. 68 ; Scully, S. F. viii, p. 252.

Cyanops franklinii, Horsf. Sf M. Cat. ii, p. 643 ; Jerdon, B. I. i,
p. 314 ; id. Ibis, 1872, p. 11 ; Godw.-Aust. J. A. S. B. xxxix, pt. 2,
p. 98 ; Shellctf, Cat. B. M. xix, p. 69 ; Oates in Hume's N. Sf E.
2nded. ii, p.'322.

Ban-basi, Bdgh-basi, Nepal.

Coloration, Forehead and a patch in the middle of the occiput
crimson ; vertex golden yellow ; lores and area above and below
the eye, with the sides of the crown growing broader behind, black ;
a bluish collar behind the black ; back, scapulars, and rump
grass-green ; outer surface of wing the same near the back,
passing into deep blue on the primary-coverts near the carpus ;
many of the coverts and the outer primaries near the base with
pale" or bluish-green edges; secondaries with green edges; wing-
feathers except on outer edges blackish brown, with pale yellow
inner borders, wing-lining the same ; tail green above, washed ^\■ith
pale blue below ; ear-coverts, malar region below them, and a broad
connecting band across the throat pale silvery whity-brown ; an
orange spot at each base of the lower mandible ; chin and upper
throat golden yellow ; lower parts from throat green or yellowish
green.

Bill blackish, plumbeous beneath ; irides brown ; orbital skin
plumbeous ; legs greenish slaty (Jerdon).

Length about 9 ; tail 2*6 ; wing 4 ; tarsus -95 ; bill from gape 1'3.

XANTHOL^MA. 97

Distribution. The Eastern Himalayas as far west as Nepal, also
the hills south of the Assam Valley (Khasi, Naga, Manipur),
between 3000 or 4000 and about 8000 feet.

Habits, ^r. This Barbet also is said to feed entirely on fruit. It
has a call which sounds dissyllabic at a distance, but is said by Hume
to consist of three successive sounds, the first being lower in pitch
and having less resonance. The eggs, 3 or 4 in number, and
pure white, are laid, according to Hodgson, in April, but one was
obtained by Mandelli in August. They are deposited in a hole
bored in a tree as usual, and measure about !•! by -85.

1018. Cyanops ramsayi. liamsays Golden-throated Barbet.

Megalfema ramsayi, Walden, A. M. N. H. (4) xv, p. 400 (1875) ; id.

in BlytJis Birds Burm. p. 74; Hume, S. F. iii, p. 402; id. Cat..

no. 196 bis ; Hume S( Dav. S. F. vi, p. 152 ; Salvadori, Ann. Mus.

Civ. Gen. (2) v, p. 561 ; vii, p. 377.
Meo-alainia franklinii, apttd Blyth, J. A. S. B. xxiv, p. 277 ; id. Birds

Burm. p. 74.
Cyanops ramsayi, Oates, B. B. ii, p. 135 ; Sharpe, F. Z. S. 1887,

p. 442 ; Sheliey, Cat. B. 31. xix, p. 70, pi. iv, 11 g. 2.

This species only differs from C. frankUni in having the ai'ea
above the eye and on the sides of the crown above the ear-coverts
mixed grey and black, the grey disappearing near the hinder
border ; the chin and throat, too, are paler yellow. Soft parts and
dimensions as in C. franlJini.

Distribution. Discovered on the hills of Karennee by Wardlaw
Eamsay, and found common above 3000 feet on the Muleyit
range, east of Moulmeiu, by Tickell, Davison, and Tea. Also found
at Perak, in the Malay Peninsula, by Mr. L. Wray.

Genus XANTHOLiEMA, Bonaparte, 1854.

This genus comprises six small Barbets of the Oriental region,
three out of the number occurring in India, Ceylon, and Burma.
They are distinguished from all other Indian genera of Capitonidm
by a differently shaped and more pointed wing, the 2nd primary,
instead of being shorter than any other primary except the first,
being always longer than the 8th, 9th, and 10th, and sometimes
longer than the 6th. The bill is short and thick ; the rictal
bristles long, often reaching to the end of the bill. The naked
orbit is small. Prevailing colour green, with patches of red or
yellow and other bright colours about the head.

Key to the Sjjecies.

Throat yellow, cheeks blackish X. hcematocephala, p. 98.

Throat orange, cheeks blue X. rubricapilla, p. 100.

Throat crimson A', malabarica, p. 99.

VOL. III. H

98 capitonibyE.

1019. Xantholaenia haematocephala. The Crimson-breasterl
Barhet or Coppersmith.

Bucco hfematocephalus, P. L. S. Milll. Natursyst., Anhawj, p. 88

(1776).
Bucco philippinensis, Gm. Si/sf. Nat. i, p. 407 (1788) ; Sundevall,

A. M. N. H.(\)x^\i\,^.'m.
Bucco indicus, Lath. hid. Orn. i, p. 205 (1790).
Megalaima philippensis, Blyth, Cat. p. (38.
XanthohTema indica, Horsf. Sf M. Cat. ii, p. 644; Jerdon, B. I. i,

p. 315 ; Stoliczka, J. A. S. B. xxxvii, pt. 2, p. 22 : KiiH/, ibid.

p. 214; Beavan, Ibis, 1869, p. 416; McMnster, J. A. S. B. xl,

pt. 2, p. 209; Walden, Ibis, 1871, p. 162.
Xanthola^ma haBiuacephala, Marshall, Mon. Cap. p. 101, pi. 42;

Hayes Lloyd, Ibis, 1873, p. 407 ; Adam, S. F. ii, p. 466 ; Butler,

S. F. iii, p. 460 ; ix, p. 387 ; Blanford, S. F. v, p. 245 ; Hu7ne ^

I)av. S. F. vi, p. 155 ; Ball, S. F. vii, p. 206 ; Cripps, ibid. p. 264 ;

Legqe, Birds Ceyl. p. 218 ; Hume, Cat. no. 197 ; Scully, S. F. viii,

p. 253 ; Vidal, 'S. F. ix, p. 54 ; Reid, S. F. x, p. 26 ; 'Oates, B. B.

ii, p. 136 ; id. in Hume's N. i^- E. 2nd ed. ii, p. 329 ; Barnes, Birds

Bom. p. 122 ; Hume, S. F. xi, p. 69.
Megalaema hffimacepbala, Blyth ^ Wald. Birds Burm. p. 74 ; Fair-

bank, S. F. v, p. 397.
Xantholaima ha^uiatocephala, Shelley, Cat. B. M. xix, p. 89.

Kat-Khora, Tambaynt, H. ; Chota hussunt bairi, Chota-benebo, Beng. ;
Phuuk Bussunt, Manbhiim ; Btissunta lisora, N.W.P. ; Juktuk,^ Mahr. ;
ToA-o/V, Tel.; Kokoorupan, Tamil (Ceylon); Kotoruwa, Mal-Kotoruwa,
Cing'. ; Hnet-jjadane, Burui.

/ \

' //'/

' ..}

Fig. 27. — Head of A'. hcBmatocephala.

Coloration. Lores black ; forehead and sinciput crimson, a black
band across the vertex extending down each side of the head
behind the eye to the malar region ; occiput and sides of neck
greyish green, remainder of upper parts olivaceous green, varying
to yellowish ; primary-coverts and quills blackish, the quills with
pale yellow inner margins, and some primaries pale-edged outside
near the tip ; a broad supercilium and a still broader streak below
the eye, with the chin and throat, bright yellow ; fore neck crimson,
fringed below by golden yellow ; breast, abdomen, and under tail-
coverts yellowish white, streaked longitudinally with olive or
olivaceous green, especially on the flanks ; tail faintly washed
beneath with pale verditer-blue.

XA.NTnOL.IMA. 99

The young is duller in colour and wants the crimson and black
on the head.

Bill black ; irides dark hazel ; nude orbital skin dull crimson ;
feet coral-red ; claws black (Jerdon).

Length about 6"5; tail 1"5 ; wiug 3*2; tarsus "8; bill from
gape -9.

Distribution. Common throughout the greater part of the
Empire, with the exception of the Himalayas and the higher ranges
of the Peninsida and Burma. Eare in the Punjab, Siud, and Cutch,
in Southern Malabar (south of Ratnagiri), and in the damper forests
of Ceylon, in Assam, the hill-tracts south of the Assam Valley, and
in Southern Tenasserim. This bird is only found in the valleys
of the outer Himalayas up to 2000 or 3000 feet. It ranges to the
Malay Peninsula, Sumatra, and the Philippines.

Habits, dfc. One of the commonest and most familiar of Indian
birds, the " Coppersmith " may be found in almost every garden,
mango-grove or banyan tree, and its monotonous note took, tool-,
took, resembling the tap of a hammer on metal, repeated at short
regular intervals, is well known to most residents in the country.
This bird, like other Indian Barbets, lives on fruit, but it takes
insects occasionally. Captain Bulger (Ibis, 1803, p. 218) saw it
feeding on flying termites. It breeds in Northern India in March,
April, and May, earlier farther south, and in Ceylon from January
to June, excavating a nest-hole of the usual kind and laying
usually 3 or 4 eggs, which are white, fragile, with little or no gloss,
and measure about -99 by '69.

1020. Xantholaema malaharica. The Crimson-throated
Barbet.

Biicco malabaricus, Blijth, J. A. S. B. xvi, pp. 386, 465 (1847).
Meg-alaima malabarica, Blyfh, Cat. App. p. 336 ; Fairhank, S. F. iv,

p. 255 ; Vidal, S. F. ix, p. 54.
Xantholsema malabarica, Mors/, c^- M. Cat. ii, p. 647 ; Jerdon, B. I.

i, p. 317; Marshall, Moti. Cap. p. Ill, pi. 45 ; Bourdillon, S. F.

iv, p. 392 ; Hume, Cat. no. 198 ; Butler, S. F. ix, p. 387 ; Davison,

S. F. X, p. 358 ; Barnes, Birds Bom. p. 123 ; iShellet/, Cat. B. M.

xix, p. 95 ; Oates in Hume's N. ^ E. 2nd ed. ii, p. 332; Davidson,

Jour. Bomb. N. H. Soc. vi, p. 336.

Coloration. Crown and upper parts, wings and tail as in
X. hctimatocephala, except that the general colour is grass-green.
The band above and that below the eye, a spot at the base of the
lower mandible on each side, chin, throat, and fore neck crimson,
the malar and gular areas fringed with golden yellow ; the black of
the vertex runs down on each side behind the eye and the sub-
ocular crimson patch but does not extend to the malar area ; sides
of head behind the black, and area between ear-coverts and throat,
light greyish blue, lower parts from neck pale green, the feathers
of the flanks darker green near the shafts.

Bill black ; irides red-brown ; legs red {Jerdon') .

Length 6-25 ; tail 1*5 ; wing 3'2 ; tarsus "8 ; bill from gape -So.

h2

100 CAPITOKID^.

Distribution. The forest-tracts near the Malabar coast as far
north as Eatnagiri.

Habits, Sfc. Similar to those of X. li(ematocep7iala, but the call is
more subdued. The eggs were obtained by Mr. Bourdillon in South
Travancore on March 6th, and are white, without gloss, and measure
•98 by -65.

1021. Xantholsema rubricapilla. The Small Ceylon Barbet.

Bucco rubricapillus, Omel. St/st. Nat. i, p. 408 (1788).

Megalaima rubricapilla, BIyth, Cat. p. 68 ; Layard, A. M. N. H. (2)
xiii, p. 448.

Xantholfema rubricapilla, Horsf. 8f M. Cat. W, p. 646 ; Blyth, This,
1867, p. 297 ; Marshall, Mon. Cap. p. 109, pi. 44 ; Holdstvorth,
P. Z. S. 1872, p. 4.30 ; Hume, S. F. yH, p. 371 ; id. Cat. no. 198
bis ; Legge, Birds Cei/l. p. 215, pi. xi ; Oates in Humes N. 8f E.
2nd ed.'i'i, p. 333 ; Slielley, Cat. B. M. xix, p. 93.

Mal-Kotormva, Cing.

Coloration. Pkunes associated v ith rictal bristles, a band above
and one below the eye, chin, and throat golden yellow ; a narrow
black frontal band ; no red spot at the base of the lower mandible
on each side ; a small crimson patch on the fore neck : otherwise
similar to X. malaharica.

Length about 6; tail 1-4; wing 3-1; tarsus '75; bill from
gape "85.

Bistribution. Peculiar to the island of Ceylon ; found in the low
country and up to about 2500 feet elevation.

Habits, cf-c. Similar to those of X. hmnatocephala, but the voice is
more subdued. The breeding- season is from March till June ; the
eggs glossy white, measuring about '9 by '65.

Order V. ANISODACTYLI.

Scarcely any two modern ornithologists are agreed as to the
affinities between the Rollers and several other groups of Picariaa
birds, especially the Kingfishers, Bee-eaters, Hornbills, Hoopoes,
Swifts, and Nightjars*. All these, except the Hoopoes, have a
peculiar and variable arrangement of the deep plantar tendons
(see Garrod, P. Z. S, 1875, p. 344). The two tendons coalesce
more or less completely either before their subdivision to supply
the different digits or below the point at which a slip leaves the
Jlexor perforatis digitorum to supply the hallux.

In other respects, such as the characters of the palate and
sternum, the form of the dorsal feather-tracts, presence or absence
of caeca, and the nature of the oil-gland, whether nude or tufted,
there is much variation, and the majority of the families mentioned
differ from each other quite as much as the Passeres and Eury-
laemi do. It appears very doubtful whether the Swifts have any
affinity to the other groups, and the Ccq^rimulgidce and Podargidce
are also isolated. In adopting Gadow's arrangement and leaving
the Coraciadce or Rollers, Meropidoi or Bee-eaters, Alcedinidoi or
Kingfishers, Bucerotidce or Hornbills, and Upupidce or Hoopoes in
one order, I am \qyj largely influenced by a desire to avoid
increasing the number of ordinal groups.

The Anisodactyli have a desmognathous palate ; basipterygoid
processes are rudimentary or absent. Sternal characters vary.
There is no ambiens muscle. A hallux is always present, and there
are almost constantly three anterior toes, more or less joined
together at the base. All the species lay white eggs in a hole,
either in a tree or in the ground, and the young are hatched
naked. The sexes are alike as a rule, but when they differ in
plumage the young resemble adults of the same sex.

There are five Indian suborders, thus distinguished : —

a. Oil-gland nude ; eseca present ; 4 notches behind
sternum.
a' . Two carotids ; manubrium sterni simple, no

foramen behind it CoEACi^.

V . Left carotid only ; manubrium sterni complex
and having behind it a perforation to receive
ends of coracoids Meropes.

* Compare Garrod, P. Z. S. 1874, p. 117 ; Sclater, Ibis, 1880, p. 401 ; Forbes,
Ibis, 1881, p. 31 ; Seebohm, Classification of Birds and Supplement; Fiirbringer,
Untersuchungen, p. 1567 ; Sharpe, Review of Recent Attempts to Classify
Birds, pp. 79-81 ; Gadow, P. Z. S. 1892, p. 251. See also vols, xvi and xvii
of the British Museum Catalogue of Birds.

102 COEACIAP^.

h. Oil-gland tufted ; caeca absent.

c'. Four notches behind sternum Halctones.

d'. Two notches behind sternum.

a". No lateral bare tracts (apteria) on neck ;

11 primaries Buceeotes.

b". Lateral cervical apteria present ; 10 pri-
maries IJprPjE.

The South-American Motmots and W.-Indian Todies also
belong here.

Suborder COBACIu^.

Caeca present. Oil-gland nude. Sternum with four notches
on the posterior margin, and the manubrium sterni consists of the
outer process (spina externa) only and is long and not distinctly
forked. Both carotids are present. The spinal feather-tract well
defined on the neck, but forked on the upper back, to leave a
dorsal apterium or featherless space. 14 cervical vertebrae. The
plantar tendons blend completely before subdividing at all.

A single family.

Fig. 28.— Left foot of C. indica.

Family CORACIAD^.

Bill corvine in shape, the upper mandible notched beneath near
the end, culmen rounded. Outer united to the middle toe at the
extreme base, inner toe united by its basal joint. Nostrils at the
base of the mandible. Primaries 10 ; tail-feathers 12. Sexes
alike.

COEACIAS.

103

This family is found in tropical and temperate regions of the
Old World. Two genera are Indian.

Key to the Genera.

a. Bill compressed ; breadth at gape about half

length of culmeu Coracias, p. 103.

h. Bill short, broad ; breadth at gape about equal

to culmen Eurystomus, p. 107.

Genus COEACIAS, Linn., 1766.

Bill rather long, compressed, culmen slightly curved, nostrils
elongate ; gape wide, with strong rictal bristles.

To this genus belong three Indian and Burmese birds, of which
one is migratory and only occurs in North-western India. Species
are found throughout Africa, Europe and Central Asia, and in
Celebes.

Key to the Sjpecies.

a. Lower parts only blue in part.

a'. Under wing-coverts, abdomen, and lower tail-
coverts pale blue C. indica, p. 103.

b'. Under wing-coverts deep blue, pale blue con-
fined to vent and lower tail-coverts C nffinis, p. 105.

b. Lower parts pale blue throughout ('. <jurnda, p. 106.

Fig;. 29. — Head of C. indica.

1022. Coracias indica. The Indian Roller.

Coracias indica, Liim. Stjst. Nat. i, p. 159 (1766) ; Blytk, Cat. p. 51 ;
Horsf. Sr M. Cat. ii, p. 571 ; Jerdon, B. 1. i, p. 214 ; Stol. J.A.S. B.
xxxvii, pt. 2, p. 19; Brooks, J. A. S. B. xli, pt. 2, p. 73; Hume,
S. F. i, p. 167; id. Cat. no. 123; Blanf. East. Pers. ii, p. 126 ;
Legge, Birds Ceyl. p. 281 ; Scully, S. F. viii, p. 237 ; Murray,
Vert. Zool. Sind, p. 109 ; Barnes, Birds Bom. p. 97 ; id. Jour.
Bomb. N. H. Soc. iv, p. 9 ; Davidson, Jour. Bomb. N. H. Soc. i,
p. 176; Oates in Hume's N. Sf E. 2nd ed. iii, p. 53 ; Sharpe,
P. Z. S. 1890, p. 517 ; id. Cat. B. M. xvii, p. 10.

Nilkant, Sahzak, H. ; Tds, Mahr. ; Pain pitta, Tel. ; Kattu kadei,
Pal-hvruvi, Tarn. ; Panang-karda, Tam. Ceylon ; Doong-koivlmoa, Cing. ;
Blue Jay or Jay of Europeans in India.

104 cobaciadjE.

Coloration. Narrow forehead and chin pale hrownish rufous ;
crown and nape hluish green, brighter and bluer abo\e the eyes ;
hind neck and sides of neck deep vinous ; back, scapulars, and
tertiaries dull greenish brown ; small coverts near the edge of tlie
wing deep purplish blue, other coverts light greyish green, except
the outer large primary and the tips of the other greater coverts,
which, with the edge of the wing, all under wing-coverts, and
axillaries, are pale blue ; quills deep purphsh blue ; a broad light
blue band across the terminal half of the primaries, the tips dark,
with the outer webs greenish. Eump light greenish blue, mixed
with deep blue ; upper tail-coverts chiefly deep blue ; middle tail-
feathers dull dark green, basal part near shaft blue ; other tail-
feathers deep blue, crossed near the tip by a broad pale blue baud,
wider on the outer feathers. Sides of head and throat purplish
lilac, \A'ith broad whitish shaft-stripes ; breast \'iuous rufous, with
less marked white shaft-stripes ; abdomen and lower tail-coverts
pale blue like wing-lining.

Bill blackish brown ; iris greyish brown ; eyelid and naked skin
round the eye pale gamboge ; feet brownish yellow (Butler).

Length about 13 ; tail 5 ; wing 7-3 ; tarsus 1 ; bill from gape I'T.

Distribution. Throughout India and Ceylon in suitable localities,
not ascending the Himalayas nor the hills of the Peninsula in
general, and wanting both in thick jungle and in open treeless
deserts. East of Calcutta this species is replaced by C. affinis,
but to the westward, though it becomes rare in the Northern
Punjab and wanting in Kashmir, it is found sparingly throughout
Baluchistan, all round the shores of the Persian Gulf to Muscat,
and stragglers have even been obtained in Asia Minor and on the
Bosphorus.

Habits, 4'C. This is one of the typical Indian birds familiar to all
inhabitants of the country. It is commonly found in cultivated
tracts on trees about villages, and in thin tree and bush jungle.
It is, as Blyth remarks, one of the birds that perch on telegraph,
wires. Jerdon says : — " It generally takes its perch on the top or
outermost branch of some high tree, and, on spying an insect on
the ground, which it can do at a very great distance, it flies direct
to the spot, seizes it, and returns to its perch to swallow it. A
favourite perch of the EolJer is a bowrie pole, or some leafless tree,
whence it can see well all round, also old buildings, a haystack or
other eleA-ated spot, sometimes a low bush or a heap of earth or of
stones. When seated, it puffs out the feathers of its bead and
neck. I have on several occasions seen one pursue an insect in
the air for some distance, and when the winged termites issue
from their nest after rain, the EoUer, like almost every other bird,
catches them on the wing." (The EoUer is also conspicuous at
jungle fires, hunting for insects, and perhaps for lizards, in company
with kites, crows, and king-crows.) " It flies in general with a
slow but continued flapping of its wings, not unlike the crow,
though more buoyant ; but it has the habit of occasionally making
sudden darts in the air in all directions. Its food is chiefly large

C0RACIA3. 105

insects, grasshoppei's, crickets, 3Iantidce, and even beetles, occasion-
ally a small lieldmouse or shrew." " The Roller has a very harsh
grating cry or scream, which it always utters when disturbed and
often at other times also." " The Nilkant is sacred to Siva, who
assumed its form, and at the feast of the Dusserah at Nagpux, one
or more used to be liberated by the Eajah." The liberation of this
bird takes place during other Hindu ceremonies in various parts of
India.

In most parts of India the EoUer is resident, but it leaves the
open Bombay Deccan for better wooded tracts, according to several
observers, during the breeding-season. It breeds from March in
Upper India, from January in Ceylon, till June or July, but chiefly
in March, April, and May, making use of a hole in a tree, or
sometimes in an old wall or the roof of a house. The nest is
generally Hned wdth a varying amount of vegetable fibre, grass, a
few feathers or some old rags, but the lining is often omitted
altogether. The eggs are a broad oval, of the purest china-white
and very glossy, usually 4 in number (occasionally 5) ; they measure
about 1-3 by 1-06.

1023. Coracias affinis. The Burmese Roller.

Coracias affinis, McClelland, P. Z. S. 1839, p. 164 ; JBlytk, J. A. S. B.
xiv, p. 190 ; id. Cat. p. 51 ; Horsf. Sf M. Cat. ii, p. 574 ; Jerdon, B. I.
i, p. 217 ; Hume, S. F. iii, pp. 50, 262 : v, p. IS ; xi, p. 43 ; id. Cat.
no. 124; Blyth 4- Wald. Birds Burm.'j). 72; Hu7ne Sr Dav. S. F.
vi, p. 72 ; Anders. Yunnan E.vped., Aves, p. 581 ; Oates, B. B. ii,
p. 69; Salvadori, Ann. Mus. Civ. Gen. (2) iv, p. 589 ; Oates in
Hume's N. ^ E. 2nd ed. iii, p. 56 ; Slwuye, P. Z. S. 1890, p. 548 ;
id. Cat. B. M. xvii, p. 13.

Katnas, Konsa, Assam ; Tak-rdl, Lepcha ; Hnet-Kah, Burai.

Coloration. Head above pale dull green, passing into bright pale
verditer-blue on the broad and long supercilia ; back, scapulars,
and tertiaries olive-brown ; smaller and median wing-coverts dark
blue, greater secondary-coverts bluish green, greater primary-
coverts pale blue, quills deep blue with a bar of pale blue across
the terminal half of the primaries ; rump deep blue ; upper tail-
coverts pale blue ; middle tail-feathers dusky green, the others
deep blue at the base, light blue on the terminal half, slightly
tipped with dusky ; sides of head, chin, and throat purplish blue, the
throat-feathers with shining blue shaft-stripes ; breast \dnaceous
brown, passing on lower abdomen into dark, then into pale blue ;
wing-lining deep purplish blue throughout.

Bill dark brownish black, mouth yellow ; edges of the eyehds,
lores, and skin at the back of the eye yellowish orange ; iris brown ;
legs yellowish brown.

Length about 13 ; tail 4'75 ; wing 7'5 ; tarsus 1 ; bill from
gape 1-7.

Distribution. Throughout Burma except in the extreme south
of Tenasserim, also in Siam and Cochin China, and through the

106 COEACIAD^.

countries north of Burma to the foot of the Himalayas in Assam.
This species is found in Tipperah, Cachar, and Sylhet ; but north
of the head of the Bay of Bengal, from Calcutta to Tipperah and
from Eastern Nepal to Assam, over a belt 150 or 200 miles broad
between E. long. 88° and 91"", intermediate forms between C. in-
dica and C. (iffinis prevail. These I regard as hybrids, as each of
the two forms is found constant in character throughout a wide
area.

Habits, Sfc. Similar to those of C. indica. This bird breeds in
March, April, and May, and lays 4 or 5 white eggs, measuring
about 1-37 by 1-09.

1024. Coracias garrula. The European Roller.

Coracias garrula, L. Syst. Nat. i, p. 159 (1766) ; Blyth, Cat. p. 51
Horsf. Sf M. Cat. p. 570; Jerdon, B. I. i, p. 218 ; Stoliczka, J. A
S. B. xxxvii, pt. 2, p. 19 ; Brooks, J. A. S. B. xli, pt. 2, p. 73 .,
Jerdon, Ibis, 1872, p. 3 ; G. F. L. Marsh, ibid. p. 205 ; Blyth, Ibis
1873, p. 80 ; Htinie 4' Henders. Lah. to Yark. p. 177 ; Hwne, S. I
i, p. 168 ; Blanford, East. Pers. ii, p. 125 ; St. John, S. F. v, p. 502
Butler, S. F. vii, p. 181 ; Hume, Cut. no. 125; Biddulph, Ibis
1881, p. 48 ; Scully, ibid. p. 429 ; C. Swinh. Ibis, 1882, p. 102
Davidson, S. F. x, p. 296 ; id. Jour. Bomb. N. H. Soc. i, p. 176
Littledale, ibid. p. 197 ; Barnes, Birds Bom. p. 98 ; St. John, Ibis
1889, p. 157; Oates in Hume's ]<!. ik E. 2nd ed. iii, p. 56 ; Sharpe.
P. Z. S. 1890, p. 549 ; id. Cat. B. M. xvii, p. 15.
Nila Eras, Kashmir.

Coloration. Narrow forehead and chin hoary white ; head, neck,
and lower parts, including the wing-lining, pale blue with a
greenish tinge ; head above and nape brighter, throat with bright
longitudinal streaks ; back, scapulars, and tertiaries light brownish
rufous ; wing-coverts pale blue, smaller coverts along the forearm
deep blue, greater primary-coverts very pale blue, tipped dusky ;
quills black, some of the primaries with a greenish gloss on the
outer web outside, inner webs of all deep blue on the under
surface ; rump deep purplish blue, more or less mixed with light
blue and passing into light greenish blue on the upper tail- coverts ;
middle pair of tail-feathers didl bronze-green, brighter along the
shafts, about the basal two-thirds of outer webs of other tail-
feathers didl green, of inner webs black, terminal portion of both
webs, broader on the outer feathers, pale blue, extreme tips of
outer pair blackish.

Young birds are duller and browner.

Bill black ; ii'is dark brown ; feet yellowish brown.

Length about 12 ; tail 5 ; wing 7-8 ; tarsus -9 ; bill from
gape 1*6.

Distribution. A migratory bird, wintering in Africa, passing the
summer and breeding in Europe and Central Asia (Persia, Turkes-
tan). It also breeds commonly in Kaslnnir and the Peshawar
Valley, and is found during migration in 8ind and throughout the
Punjab. Specimens have been collected as far east as Dlndia in

EUKTSTOMTJS.

107

Khandesh, Ahmedabad, the Satpura hills, Ajmere, Mussooree, and
Garhwal.

Habits, Sfc. Very similar to those of G. indica, but the present
species is more often seen away from trees. It has the same
peculiar flight, the same habit of tumbling about in the air
(whence the name of Eoller), and a similar harsh voice, and it lives
on insects in the same way. It nidificates sometimes in holes or
hollows in trees, often in cliffs or sandy banks, or mud walls,
occasionally in ruins, and lays from May to Jidy 4 or 5 or rarely
B white, glossy, long oval eggs, measuring on an average 1'52
by M.

Mr. Blyth states that he saw a skin from Kashmir showing
intermixture of this species with C. indica.

Genus EURYSTOMUS, A^ieill., 1816.

BiU short and broad ; width of the gape about equal to the
length of the culmen, the terminal part compressed and the
upper mandible hooked ; no rictal bristles.

A single species is Indian ; other species occur in Madagascar
and tropical Africa, China, the Malay Archipelago, and Australia.

Fig. 30.— Head of E. orientalis.

1025. Eurystomus orientalis. The Broad-hilled Holler.

Coracias orientalis, Linn. Si/st. Nat. i, p. 159 (1766).

Eurystomus orientalis, Blyth, Cat. p. 51 : Layard A. M. N. H. (2)
xi'i, p. 171 ; Borsf. i^- M. Cat. p. 121 ; Jerdon, B. I. \, p. 219 ; id.
Ibis, 1872, p. 3 ; Bhjth, Ibis, 1866, p. 345 ; Ball, J. A. S. B. xli,
pt. 2, p. 277 ; Vipan, S. F. i, p. 495 ; Hume, S. F. ii, p. 164 ; xi,
p. 43 ; id. Cat. no. 126 ; Morgan, S. F. ii, p. 531 ; Godw.-Aust.
J. A. S.B. xliii, pt. 2, p. 154 ; Bli/th, Birds Bunn. p. 72 ; Bour-
dillon, S. F. iv, p. 382 ; Let/ffe, Birds Ceyl. p. 285 ; Hume Sf Bat:
S. F. vi, p. 72; Davison, S. F. x. p. 351 ; Oates, B. B. ii, p. 70;
id. in Hume's N. Sf E. 2nd ed. iii, p. 57; Dresser, Ibis, 1891,
p. 99 ; SJuoye, Cat. B. M. xvii, p. 33, pi. ii, fig. 6.

Eurystomus l^tior, Sharpe, P. Z. S. 1890, p. 551 ; id. Cat. B. M.
xvii, p. 36.

108 COEACIAD^.

Eurystomus caloryux, Hodgs. in Gray''s Zool. Misc. p. 82 (descr.

nulla).
Eurystomus calonyx, Sharpe, P. Z. S. 1890, p. 551 ; id. Cat. B. M.

xvii, p. 38, pi. ii, fig-. 2.

Tak-rdl-vong, Lepclia ; Mo-goun-hnet, Burmese.

Coloration. Head and neck above and at the sides blackish brown,
more or less tinged with green ; back much greener, passing into
dark bluish green on the rump and upper tail-coverts, and on the
scapulars and tertiaries, and into brighter greenish blue on the
wing-coverts ; primary-coverts deep blue, quills black, deep blue on
the outer webs, the outer primaries crossed near the base by a
broad pale blue band ; tail-feathers black, the outer webs above
and the inner below washed for a varying distance from the base
with deep blue ; throat deep blue, with bright blue shaft-stripes ;
remainder of lower surface greenish blue, darker on the breast.

Bill, legs, and feet deep vermilion, tip of bill black ; iris dark
brown : gape yellowish (Oates).

The young is duller in colour, wants the bright blue streaks on
the throat, and has a black bill.

Length about 12 ; tail 4 ; wing 7*5 ; tarsus '8 ; bill from
gape 1-7.

Ceylon and Travancore birds are deeper in colour, the head very
dark, almost black, and the underparts bluer. These form a well-
marked race or subspecies, E. Icetior of Sharpe. Sharpe also dis-
tinguishes the Hiuialayan and Chinese and some Burmese and
Malay birds under the name E. calonyx, on account of the
blue on the outer webs of the tail-feathers extending to the ter-
minal half of the feathers and of the outer webs of the secondaries
being washed with blue ; and he regards E. calonyx as a migratory
and E. orientalis as a non-migratory form ; but I find considerable
variation, and doubt whether two forms can be distinguished.

Distribution. Along the base of the Himalayas as far west as
Kumaun up to about 3000 feet and from Lower Bengal, Cachar,
and Assam locally throughout the Burmese countries to China
and Manchuria, Siam and Cochin China, and down the Malay
Peninsula to Sumatra, Java, Borneo, and the Phihppines ; com-
mon in the Andamans. Also found in Southern India near the
Malal)ar coast as far north as the Wynaad, and in Ceylon, where
this bird is rare.

Bah its, Sfc. A forest bird, resident or locally migratory, haunting
high trees and usually perching on a dead tree or branch, some-
times on a bamboo, whence it flies down to capture insects. It is
somewhat crepuscular in its habits and is generally silent ; its call
is a monosyllablic deep-toned whistle, but occasionally in the
breeding-season it makes a chattering noise. In confinement it
eats plantains. It breeds in March and April, in holes in branches
of trees, as a rule at a considerable height from the ground, and
lays on the bare wood usually 3 white eggs, measuring about
1-38 bv 1-15.

MEROPID^. 109

Suborder MEBOPES.

Only the left carotid is present. The manubrium sterni is
trifid, the inner portion being forked, and the outer single.
Behind the spine is a foramen as in Uptijndce and Bucerotidce.
Cervical vertebrae 15. The flexor perforans digitorum gives off
from its inner side the slip which supplies the hallux, before
blending with the /. longiis hallucis. The conjoined tendons
then di^ade into three to supply the other toes. Other characters
as in Coracke.

A single family.

Family MEROPIDiE.

Bill long, slender, and curved throughout, culmen ridged, both
mandibles pointed ; legs and feet feeble, syndactyle, the outer or
fourth toe united to the third or middle toe as far as the last
joint, second and third toes united by the basal joint only. Tail-
feathers 12. Primaries 10. Sexes alike or nearly so.

Key to tJie Genera.

a. Breast-plumes not elongate ; wing pointed ;

2nd quill longest.
a'. Middle pair of tail-feathers much longer

than the others Merops, p. 109.

b'. Middle tail-feathers not longer Melittophagus, p. 114.

b. Breast-])lumes elongate, pendent, and

brightly coloured ; wing rounded ; 4th

quill longest Nyctiornis, p. 115.

Genus MEEOPS, Linn., 1766.

Bill very long, slender, and pointed, nostrils partially covered
by plumes ; a few small rictal bristles at the base of the bill ; wings
long, pointed, 1st primary minute, 2nd longest ; the two middle
tail-feathers longer than the others, and with their terminal
portion narrow.

The genus ranges throughout the greater part of the Old
World ; four species are Indian.

Key to the Species.

a. Throat green or chestnut ; middle tail-feathers

exceed others by more than length of

culmen.
«'. Throat green or bluish green : wing 3-6 . . M. viridis, p. 110.
b' . Chin yellow, throat chestnut : wing 5-6.

a''. Tail blue above 31. j)hilippvnts, p. 111.

b". Tail green above M. j^ersims, p. 112.

b. Chin and throat yellow ; middle tail-feathers

exceed outer by less than length of culmen . M. apiastei', p. 113.

110 MEBOPID^.

The habits of all the Bee-eaters are similar. All feed on
insects, and the larger species very much on bees and wasps, which
they capture in the air, seize across the body, and crush, either
with their mandibles or by beating the insect against their perch,
before swallowing. They select a perch with a good look-out,
often a dead branch at the top of a tree or bush, and they are
fond of sitting on telegraph-wires. They generally, after sallying
forth and hunting, return to the same perch. They have a
pleasant whistling note : they generally Uve in colonies and make
long nest-holes, two or three inches in diameter and often several
feet deep, in the bank of a river, on a hill-side, or sometimes on
level ground ; at the bottom of this hole they hoUow out a
chamber, in which their eggs, wdiich are white, glossy, and very
spherical ovals, are laid, usually without any lining.

1026. Merops viridis. The Common Indian Bee-eater.

Merops viridis, Linn. Syst. JSat. i, p. 182 (1766) ; Blyfh, Cat. p. -53 ;

Horsf. Sf M. Cat. p. 84 ; Jerdon, B. I. \, p. 205 ; Stoliczka,

J. A. S. B. xxxvii, p. 19; Hume, S. F. \, p. 167; iii, p. 49;

xi, p. 42 ; id. Cat. no. 117 ; Adam, S. F. i, p. 371 ; Bh/th ^- Wald.

Birds Burm. p. 73 ; Moryan, Ihis, 1875, p. 314 ; Hume iS)- Dav.

>S. F. vi, pp. 67, 498; Ley ye, Birds Ceyl. p. 309; Scully, S. F.

viii, p. 237 ; Davison, S. F. x, p. 350 ; Gates, B. B. ii, p. 65 ;

id. in Hume's N. ^- E. 2nd ed. iii, p. 60 ; Barnes, Birds Bumh.

p. 93; Dresser., Mon. Mer. p. 31, pi. ix ; Sharj^e, Cut. B. M.

xvii, p. 78.
Merops ferrugeiceps and M. torquatus, Hodys. Graxfs Zool. Misc.

p. 82 (1844), descr. nulla.
Merops indicus, Jerdon, Madr. Jour. L. S. xi, p. 227.

Patrinya, Harridl, H. ; Bdnsjxiti in Bengal ; Tailinyi, Veda Bdyhi,
Mahr. ; Chinna passeriki, Tel. ; Knrumcnne Kurulla, Cing. ; Katfalan
Kuruvi, Tamil, Ceylon ; Monayyi, Arrakan ; Hnet-pasin-to, Burm.
Several of these terms are also used for other species of Merops.

Coloration. Upper parts, including wing-coverts and tertiaries,
bi'ight green, sometimes more or less tinged with ferruginous
or golden on the crown, nape, and upper back, tertiaries and
rump a little bluer ; lores and a band under the eye to the ear-
coverts black, primary and secondary quids pale rufous, greenish
on the outer webs, tipped blackish ; tail duller green above, dark
brown below, tips of the elongate middle feathers blackish ; lower
parts green ; a black gorget ; chin and cheeks, and sometimes the
throat, bluish or even verditer-blue ; lower abdomen and lower
coverts also sometimes bluish.

Bill black ; irides blood-red ; feet dark plumbeous {Jerdon).

Length about 9 ; tad 4'5-o, outer rectrices 2'9 ; wiug 3'6 ;
tarsus '4 ; bill from gape 1*4.

Specimens with a ferruginous head are more common to the
eastward, especially in Burma ; birds from the ]S'orth-west
Pro\'inces show the blue throat best, but the intensity of this
colour appears to increase as the plumage gets worn. Both of
the varieties are occasionally found in Southern India.

MEEOPS.

Ill

Distribution. Common and resident almost throughout India,
Ceylon, and Burma. Wanting in the Himalayas, where this
species rarely occurs, even in the lower ranges, though there are
specimens from Kashmir and Murree in the Hume CoUectiou.
Absent also as a rule on the higher hills of the Peninsula, and m
some of the denser and damper forests. In Ceylon .¥. vvndts
is only found in the drier parts of the low country. In Tenasserim
it has not been observed south of Mergui, and it does not occur
in the Malay Peninsula nor in the Andamans or JNicobars,
though it is found in 8iam and Cochin China. West of' India
it extends through Baluchistan and Southern Persia to North-
eastern Africa. r -v r t r

Habits 4-c One of the commonest and most familiar of Indian
birds ; a'resident in general, butlocaUy migratory in some places :
thus it is said to leave the island of Bombay from April till
September. It has the usual habits of Bee-eaters, but generaUy
prefers a lower perch than the larger species ; it hves on various
insects, usually captured in the air, and it has a pleasant whistlmg
note It breeds from the middle of March tiU the begmunig ot
June, and lays from 3 to 5 eggs at the end of a hole whidi it digs
to a depth of U to 5 feet, usuaUy in a bank or cliff. | he eggs
are spherical oVals, white and glossy, and measure about '/«
by -7.

1027. Merops pMlippinus. The Blue-tailed Bee-eater.

Merops pliilippinus, Linn. Syst. Nat. ed. xiii ( f«'M, i, P- \f
(1767) ; Jerdon. Madr. Jour. L. S. xi, p. 228; Blyth, Cat. p. 52;
Horsf. &• M. Cat. p. 80 : Walden, Tr. Z. S. viii, p. 42 ; Hume,
S. F.in, p. 456; iv, pp. 36, 287; xi, p 42 ; id. Cat. no. 118;
Blyth & Wald. Birds Burm. p. 72 ; Hume ^ ^"''■^- f • ''^>
pp 67, 498; Ball, S. F. vii, p. 203; Crippsihid p. 258; Legye,
Birds Ceyl. p. 300; Doiy, S.F. viii, p. 370 ; Hf/« , -S. F ix p_49;
Bingham, ibid. p. 152 ; Butler; ibid. p. 381 ; Damson^ S. F. x.
p. 350 ; Gates, B. B. ii, p. 66; Dresser, Mon. Mer. P- oo pi xv ;
Barnes, Birds Bom. p. 94; Littledale, Jour. Bomb. NH.Soc. i,
pp. 31, 190 ; Oates in Hume's N. i^^ E. 2nd ed. in, p. 63; bharpe,
Cat. B. M. xvii, p. 71. _ r, » c t •

Merops philippensis, Jerdon, B. I. i. p. 20/ ; Ball, S. F. i, p. o/ ;
Anderso7i, Yimnan Exp., Aves, \xo8h _ <,^/^Qoo^

Merops daudiui, Car. Beyne Anim Aouv. ed. i, p. 442 (18^9),
descr. nuUa ; Htime, S. F. ii, p. 102 ; in, p. 49.
Bara patrinya, H.; Komu passeri}ci,Te\. ; Huet-pasin-to, Burm.

Coloration. Lores and a streak past the eye to the ear-coverts
black, bordered above by a narrow pale verditer-blue supercilium
and below by a broader blue line. Upper parts to rump, including
the wino--coverts, green with a rufous tmge passing into the
verditer-blue of the rump, upper tail-coverts, and tail ; tertiaries
also sometimes bluish ; middle pair of tail-feathers with elongate
black tips, and aU tail-feathers dark brown beneath : wing-teathers
more rufous green than the back, all except the tertiaries tipped
Mith black, the outer webs bluish or brighter greenish towards

112 MEEOPID.E.

the tip ; chin yellow ; throat chestnut, passing into green on the
breast, this passes into pale blue round the vent and on the lower
tail-coverts ; wing-lining light brownish rufous.

Bill black ; irides crimson ; legs dusky plumbeous {Jerclon).

Length about 12 ; tail b-Q, outer feathers only 3-5 ; wing 5-25 ;
tarsus "5 ; bill from gape 2.

Fig. 31. — Head of M. philippinus.

Bhirihvtion. Throughout the greater part of the Oriental
region. This Bee-eater is generally but somewhat locally dis-
tributed over India, Ceylon, and Burma, extending west to Sind,
but not found in the Himalayas.

Hahits, ^c. A resident species, but partially migratory in many
places, and in Ceylon merely a winter visitant ; it keeps much to
forest countries and weU-wooded districts, and generally breeds in
the banks of rivers. It feeds on wasps, bees, dragontlies, beetles,
and even butterflies. It sometimes congregates in large numbers,
but is more often seen in small companies or singly. Its voice is
described by Jerdon as a full, mellow, roUing whistle. It breeds,
usually in large colonies, from March to June, in a hole 4 to 7
feet long, the egg-chamber being occasionally lined with grass or
feathers ; it lays usually four or five white, glossy, nearly spherical
eggs, measuring about '88 by uQ.

1028. Merops persicus. Tlte Blue-chceTi-ed Bee-eater.

Merops persicus, Pall. Reis. Russ. ReicJis, ii, Anhang, p. 708 (1773)
Bhjth, Cat. p. 52 ; Davids, i^ Wend. S. F. vii, p. 77 ; Hume, Cat
no. 120; Scully, Ibis, 1881, p. 429; Davidson, S. F. x, p. 29.5
Barnes, Birds Bomb. p. 95 ; Sivinhoe l^ Barnes, Ibis, 1885, p. 61
Dresser, Mon. Mer. p. 03, pi. xvi ; St. John, Ibis, 1889, p. 157
Oates in Humes N. Sf E. 2nd ed. iii, p. 65 ; Shar2W, Cat. B. M.
xvii, p. 66.

Merops eegyptius, Forsk. Descr. An., Aves, p. 1 (1776) ; Horsf. 8r M.
Cat. i, p. 89 ; Jerdon, B. Ii, p. 209 ; O. F. L. Marshall, Ibis, 1872,
p. 203 ; Hmne, S. F. i. p. 167 ; iii, p. 326 ; Adam, S. F. i, p. 371 ;
Butler, S. F. iii, p. 456; vii, p. 181.
The Egyptian Bee-eater, Jerdon.

Coloration. Very similar to M. plnlippimis,h\^t greener. Fore-
head white, passing into verditer-blue, which unites the long blue
supercilia ; a black streak through the lores past the eye to the

MEROPS. 113

ear-coverts, bordered below by white, passing down into blue and
then into green on the cheeks ; upper parts and wings green,
bluer on the rump and upper tail-coverts ; quills greenish rufous,
tipped blackish ; tail-feathers also rufescent green, the long
median pair dusky at the tips ; chin yellow, throat chestnut, rest
of lower parts green like the back ; wing-lining brownish rufous.

Bill black ; iris red ; legs and feet fleshy ( (J. T. Bingham).

Length about 12; tail 5 to 6, to end of outer rectrices 3'7 ;
wing 6 ; tarsus "So ; bill from gape 1'75,

Distribution. Migratory, wintering in Africa, and passing the
summer in Western and Central Asia, A summer visitant to North-
western India, breeding in parts of Sind, Eajputana, the Punjab,
and Afghanistan, and ranging occasionally during migration as far
as Gilgit, Aligarh and Mainpuri in the JST.W. Provinces, Mhow,
Khandesh, and even Pandharpur in the Bombay Deccan, where
Mr. Davidson obtained a young specimen in October. This
species has not, so far as I know, been observed in Kashmir
proper.

Habits, ^c. Similar to those of other Bee-eaters. This species
breeds near Delhi, as observed by Bingham, from the middle of
May to the middle of Jidy, and lays 3 to 5 eggs in the usual
nest-hole. The eggs measure on an average "95 by '81.

1029. Merops apiaster. The European Bee-eater.

Merops apiaster, Linn. Syst. Nat. i, p. 182 (1766) ; Blyth, Cat.
p. 52; Adams, P. Z. S. 1858, p. 474; Jerdon, B. I. \, p. 210; id.
Ibis, 1872, p. 3 ; Murray, S. F. vii, p. 113; Hume, Cat. no. 121 ;
Wardl.-Ramsay, Ibis, 1880, p. 49 ; Bavjies, S. F. ix, pp. 215,
453 ; Biddulph, Ibis, 1881, p. 48 ; Barnes, Birds Bon. p. 95 ; St.
John, Ibis, 1889, p. 157 ; Gates in Hume's N. ^ E. 2nd ed. iii, p. 66 ;
Sharpe, Cat. B. M. xvii, p. 63.

Coloration. Forehead white, followed by an indistinct line of
verditer-blue passing into green, that is continued on each side as
a supercihum ; a black line including the lores and ear-coverts
and passing under the eye ; crown, hind neck, and upper back
chestnut, darkest on the head and passing into pale yellowish
brown, weathering in worn plumage to buff on the lower back
and rump, paler still on the scapulars ; secondary -coverts and
quills chestnut ; primary-coverts and primary and tertiary quills
bluish green, all quills except the tertiaries tipped black ; upper
tail-coverts bluish green ; tail-feathers bronze-green above, the
slightly elongate median pair tipped black, all blackish beneath ;
chin and throat rich yellow, followed by a black gorget ; breast,
abdomen, and under tail-coverts greenish blue, paler behind ; wing-
lining buff.

Bill black ; iris red ; legs and feet brown.

Length about 10-5 ; tail 4 to 5, outer rectrices 3*5 ; wing 5-75 ;
tarsus '55 ; bill from gape 1"7.

Distribution. A migratory bird, wintering in Africa, and perhaps
in Southern Arabia, and breeding in summer in Southern Em^ope

VOL. III. 1

114 IktEEOPIDiE.

and Central Asia. Within Indian limits this Bee-eater breeds in
Kashmir and probably in Afghanistan, and has been observed
when migrating in the N.W. Punjab, Baluchistan, and on one
occasion in Sind.

Habits, Sfc. Those of the genus. This and other large Bee-
eaters keep more on the wing than M. vi7nclis and feed on various
insects, chiefly bees and wasps. M. apiaster breeds in Kashmir
during May and June, and lays 4 to 7 eggs (6 being a common
number) in a chamber at the end of a deep hole. The eggs are
white and glossy, and measure about 1-08 by -Q.

Genus MELITTOPHAGUS, Boie, 1828.

This genus contains one Indian species, other kinds being
found throughout the Ethiopian region, whilst one, M. quinticolor,
inhabits Java, The only distinction from Merops is that the
middle pair of tail-feathers are no longer than the other
rectrices. Plumage and habits are similar to those of Merops, and
the two types are scarcely worth separating.

1030. Melittophagus swinhoii. The Chestnut-headed Bee-eater.

Merops erytbrocephalus ?, Gm. Si/st. Nat. i, p. 463 (1778) ; Blyth^

Cat. p. 53 ; Blyth ^- Wald. Birds Burma, p. 72.
Merops quinticolor, aimd Horsf. ^ M. Cat. p. 88 ; Jerdon, B. I.

i, p. 208 ; Beavan, Ibis, 1867, p. 318 ; Godw.-Aust. J. A. S. B.

xxxix, pt. 2, p. 266; Holdsio. P. Z. 8. 1872, p. 423 ; Jei-don, Ibis,

1872, p. 3 ; Walden, Ibis, 1873, p. 301 ; Davidson, Jour. Bomb.

N. H. Soc. \i, p. 332 (nee V.).
Merops swinhoei, Hume, N. §• H. p. 102 (1873) ; id. S. F. ii, p. 163 ;

vii, p. 455 ; xi, p. 42 ; id. Cat. no. 119 ; Ball, S. F. ii, p. 386 ; vii,

p. 203 ; Fairb. S. F. iv, p. 254 ; Armstromj, ibid. p. 305 ; Leqc/e,

Birds Ceyl. p. 312: Parker, S. F. ix, p. 478; Davison, S. F. x,

p. 350 ; Barnes, Birds Bom. p. 95.
Merops leschenaultii, r/^wtZ Fairb. S. F. \, p. 394; Ajiders. Yunnan

Exped., Aves, p. 582 ; Hume 4'- Dav. S. F. vi, p. 68 {nee V.).
Melittophagus leschenaulti, rywrf Oates, B. B. ii, p. 68.
Melittophagus qviinticolor, ajnid Dresser, Mon. Mer. p. 115, pi. xxvi ;

Oates i7i Hume^s N. 8)- E. 2nd ed. iii. p. 67.
Melittophagus swinhoii, Sharpe, Cat. B. M. xvii, p. 55.
Kurumewie Kurulla, Pook-Kira, Cingalese.

Coloration. Whole crown with the ear-coverts, hind neck, and
upper back chestnut ; lores and a narrow line running back luider
the eye and ear-covei'ts black : interscapulars, scapulars, and
outside of m ings bright green ; quills the same, but (the tertiaries
excepted) with black tips and rufous inner margins ; rump and
upper tail-coverts pale blue ; tail-feathers green above, aU except
the median pair dusky on their margins and tips ; chin and
throat yellow ; a rufous-broAvn gorget joining the chestnut of the
upper surface, and bordered behind with black not extending to
the sides of the neck, but succeeded by an ill-defined yellow band ;

NYCTIOENIS. US'

breast green, passing into blui.sh green on the abdomen and lower
tail-coverts.

Bill black ; iris crimson ; legs dusky black (Oates).

Length 8-5 ; taU 4 ; wing 4-2 ; tarsus '43 ; bill from gape 1'7.

After going over the original descriptions, I believe the true
Merops quinticolor to be the Javan species. M. leschenaulti is
not recognizable. Vieillot appears merely to have copied
Levaillant's descriptions and localities, and the latter are notori-
ously worthless.

Distribution. A resident, locally distributed throughout Ceylon
and in the hill-forests near the Malabar coast as far north as
Belgaum, ascending the Nilgiris to about 5000 feet. Elsewhere
in the Peninsula this bird is only known to occur in the great
forest-region south-east of Bengal, and there it is very rare ; but
Mr. Ball obtained a specimen in Sarguja and I shot one on the
Grodavari below^ Sironcha. It ranges thi'oughout the Lower
Himalayas as far west as Dehra Dun, and east of the Bay of
Bengal from Assam to the Malay Peninsula, Siam, and Cochin
China, occurring locally throughout Burma and in the Andaman
Islands.

Habits, ^-c. Similar to those of Merops. This bird is usually
seen perched on a tree, very often on a dead bx'anch, or catching
insects on the wing. It chiefly prefers forests or weU-wooded
country near streams. It breeds about March and AprU,
generally in colonies, in holes of considerable depth, and lays
usually 5 or 6 glossy white eggs in a chamber at the end of the
hole. The eggs measure about '87 by '76.

Genus NYCTIORNIS, Swains., 1831.

Larger than Merops \ bill stronger and deeper; ridge of the
culmen flattened ; a hollow on each side of the ridge ; nostrils
covered by plumes. Wing rounded ; first quUl about two-thirds
of the second, third or fovu'th longest ; tail rather long, even.
Peathers of throat and breast elongate and richly coloured.

Only two species are known, both are found within our area.

Key to the Species.

Middle of throat and of breast light blue iV^. athertoni, p. 115.

Middle of throat and of breast scarlet N. amictus, p. 117.

1031. Nyctiornis athertoni. The Blue-bearded Bee-eater.

Merops athertoni, Jard. ^ Selbij, III. Orn. ii, pi. 58 (1829),
Nyctiornis athertoni, Horsf. S,- M. Cat. p. 89 ; Jerdo7i, B. I. i, p. 211 ;
Godio.-Aust. J. A. S. B. xliii, pt. 2, p. 153 ; Bh/th ^- Wald. Birds
Burma, p. 73 ; Hume ^- Inr/lis, S. F. v, p. 18 ; Fairhank, ibid.
p. 394 ; Hume ^ Dav. S. F. vi, p. 68 ; Hume, S. F. vii, p. 203 ;
xi, p. 42 ; id. Cat. no. 122 ; Anderson, Yunnan Fxped., Aves,
p. 583 ; Binr/ham, S. F. ix, pp. 153, 472 ; Butler, ibid. p. 382 ;
Davison, S. F. x, p. 351 ; Macgregor, ibid. p. 436 ; Oates, B. B. ii^

I 2

116 MEEOPID^.

p. 63 ; id. in Hume's N. 8f E. 2nd ed. iii, p. 58 ; Dresse?; Mm.

Mer. p. 7, pi. 3 ; Barnes, Birds Bom. p. 96 ; Davidson, Jour. Bomb.

N. H. Soc. vi, p. 333 ; Sharpe, Cat. B. M. xvii, p. 88.
Bucia nepalensis, Hodgson, J. A. S. B. v, p. 361 (1836).
Merops cyanogularis, Jerdon, Mad. Jour. L. S. xi, p. 229 (1840).
Alcemerops atbertonii, Blyth, Cat. p. 52.

The Blue-necked Bee-eater, Jerdon ; Bukay Cheru, Nepal ; Sang-rhyok,
Lepclia ; Pya-too-huet, Burmese.

Fig. 32. — Head of N. athcrtoni.

Coloration. Forehead, sometimes to vertex, pale verditer-blue;
whole upper parts, with sides of neck and breast and upper
surface of wings and tail, grass-green; chin, middle of throat
and of upper breast, forming a broad line, light blue, the long
breast-feathers deep verditer except at the margins ; lower surface
from breast, including the wing-lining, ochreous buff, streaked with
broad green shaft-stripes from breast to vent ; tail-feathers dull
ochreous yellow beneath, their outer margins and tips blackish.

Bill horny, light at the base below ; iris browu : legs fleshy
brown, tinged with green (Oates).

Length 14 ; tail 5-25 ; wing 5*8 ; tarsus '7 ; bill from gape 2-3.
The female somewhat less.

Distribution. Eesident throughout the Lower Himalayas as far
west as Dehra Dun, from the plains to about 4000 feet, also from
Assam to Tenasserim, Siam, and Cambodia, throughout the Bm-mese
countries, in the larger forests. This Bee-eater is replaced in
Sovithern Tenasserim by the next species, but it is found in the
Malabar forests from the neighbourhood of Belgaum to Travancore.
The only other reported occurrence in the Peninsula of India
is at Sambalpur, whence there are two skins in the Hvime Collection.
Not known in Ceylon.

Habits, 4'c. A forest-bii'd, usually seen solitary or in pairs,
perching on high trees, and capturing insects on the wing. The
eggs were obtained by Major Bingham in Tenasserim from a hole
7 feet deep in the bank of a stream on April 23rd ; they were f oiu*
in number, hard-set, nearly round, white and glossy, and measured
about 1-14 by 1-03. Several similar nests and eggs were taken by
Mr. Davidson in Kanara at the end of March, and by Mr. E. C.
Steuart Baker in Cachar from March till June. It Mas long supposed,
doubtless erroneously, that this bird might breed in holes of trees.

NYCTIORNIS. 117

1032. Nyctiornis amictus. The Red-hear ded Bee-eater.

Merops amictus, Temm. PI. Col. pi. 310 (1824j.

Nyctiornis amicta, Swahis. Zool. III. ser. 2, ii, text to pi. 56 ; Horsf.
Sf M. Cat. p. 383 ; Blyth, Ibis, 1866, p. 345 ; Blyth ^ Wald. Birds
Burm. p. 73 ; Hume S{ I)av. S. F. vi, pp. 69. 498 ; Hume, Cat. no.
122 bis; Bingham, S. F. viii, p. 193; ix, p.l53; Oates, B. B. ii,
p. 64 ; Dresser, Mon. Mer. p. 1, -ph. 1,2 ; Shmye, Cat. B. M.xvii,
p. 90.

Alcemerops amicta, Blyth, Cat. p. 52.

Nyctiornis malacceuis. Cab. Sf Heine, Mus. Hein. ii, p. 133 (1859) ;
Hume, S. F. ii, p. 469.

Coloration. Nasal plumes and point of chin pale verditer-green ;
lores and forehead pink, passing into lilac on the vertex ; feathers
on eyelids dark green or blue ; whole upper parts, including ear-
coverts, sides of neck and breast, and upper surface of wings and
taU, grass-green ; cheeks in front of eye, throat, and elongate
plumes in middle of breast scarlet, the latter dark green near the
shafts ; lower parts from breast pale green ; tail-feathers beneath
ochreous yellow, with broad black tips ; exterior margin of outer-
most feathers also black ; wing-lining ochreous buff.

In the female the forehead and lores are scarlet hke the throat ;.
vertex only pink. Young bu-ds are green throughout.

Bill black, whitish at base ; iris bright yellow to orange ; legs and
feet pale green, often dingy, sometimes bluish (Davison).

Length 13 ; tail 5 ; wing 5-25 ; tarsus -6 ; bill from gape 2-45.
Females measure rather less and have a shorter bill.

Distribution. Tenasserim and throughout the Malay Peninsula
to Sumatra and Borneo. In Tenasserim this bird is found as far
north as Moulmein, Myawadi, and the Thoungyeng vaUey, but is
rare north of Tay.

Habits, 4'c. Similar to those of iV. atliertoni. The note, according
to Davison, is hoarse, of four syllables, and uttered at irregular
intervals. Nidification not known.

118 ALCEDINIDiE.

Suborder SALCYONi:^.

No caeca; oil-gland tufted ; 15 cervical vertebrae. Sternum with
four notches on the posterior margin ; manubrium simple, composed
of the spina externa only. Both carotids are present. Spinal
feather-tract well defined on the neck and not forked on the back,
so there is no dorsal apterium. Down present in adults on the tracts
not covered by feathers, a character absent in other suborders o£
Anisodactyh. No accessory semitendinosus muscle. The two
plantar tendons are generally united, but the slip leading to the
hallux branches off from t\\Q Jlexor perforans digitorum oboYQ the
junction as in Meropes. In some cases however, as in Dacelo, this
shp unites with the jiexor longus hallucis, and the latter runs to
the fourth digit only and has no other connexion with the /. perf.
digitorum (Gadow in Newton's Dictionary of Birds, p. 617).

family ALCEDINID^.

Bill long, stout, pointed, with a rounded or slightly flattened
■culmen ; tarsus and toes feeble ; the foiu-th or outer toe united to
the third for more than half its length, third and second united
tor basal third.

Primaries 11, the first minute. Tail-feathers 12 (except in
TanysiiJtera, which has 10).

AU Kingfishers lay white, glossy, rather round
eggs, very like those of 13ee-eaters, almost always
in a chamber without lining, dug by the birds in the
earth at the end of a burrow from 6 inches to several
feet in length. There is sometimes, but rarely, a
layer of fish-bones on which the eggs are deposited.

This family is generally divided into two sub-
families, but as Dr. Bowdler Sharpe, to vA'hom we
■p- 33 are indebted for an exceUent monograph of the
Eight "foot of Kingfishers, has shown, the distinction between the
A. ispida, \. two is not well marked.

Key to the Genera.

a. Plumage (of Indian species) black and white. Ckryle, p. 119.

b. Plumage varied, not black and white.
a! . Tail shorter than culmen.

a''. Toes 4 Alcedo, p. 122.

b". Toes 3 Ceyx, p. 127.

OERYLE.

119

b'. Tail longer tlian culnieu.
c''. Sexes alike.

a\ Bill red. ,

a^. Bill compressed, culmeii flattened,

with a groove on each side Pelargopsis, p. 128.

b*. Billnot compressed, culuieu rounded.

a' Primaries white at base Halcyon, p. l--'l-

6' No white on primaries Oallialcyon, p. 134.

P. Bill black Sauropatis, p. 135.

<?". Sexes dissimilar; bill somewhat depressed.

c^ Bill black above ; plumage not barred. Caridagrus, p. 138.
<i3. Bill red throughout; plumage barred. Carcineutes, p. 138.

Genus CERYLE, Bole, 1828.
Bill long, compressed ; ciilmen slightly curved, flattened or
rounded above, with a groove on each side. Wings rather pouited,
2nd or 3rd quill longest, 1st bat little shorter. Tail longer than

^^''Th^^genus inhabits the Ethiopian and Oriental regions with the
Southern portion of the Pal^arctic and the whole ot America.
There are two Indian species, distinguished by their black and white
plumage.

Keif to the Species.

Back not barred; wing 5-5 n Z2E' l^.

Back transversely barred ; wing over 7 i^- iur/ubris, p. i-i.

1033 Ceryle varia. The Indian Pied Kingfisher.

Ceryle varia, StrieUan,, A. M.N.H vi, p. 418 (18^1) ;;|'^-^- f -•
Mas. Civ. Gen. (2) iv, p. 585 ; Sharpe, Cat. B ^-^vii p. ii-^. _

Ceryle rudis, apud Blytli Cat. ^ A'd • Horsf J- M. Cat. ^\.l,
Jerdon, B.I. i, p. 232 ; Sharpe Mon. Ale. P;,61, pl- 19 ' /^'^'"^/.

Menders. Lah. fo Yark. p. 179 ; Hume, S. F. i, P- 170 , ui, p. 5-^ ,
xtenatis.-u i ^^^.^^, j^^^^.^^^ 7]^.

Si -'i)l.^tV vi, p. iofiWA Birds Ceylj. 288; binders.

N.&E 2nd ed. iii, p. 8 ; Murrai/, Vert. Zool. Sind, p. 112 ; Banies,
Birds Bom. p. 103 ; {nee Alcedo rudis, Lmn.).
Knruala-Kilkila H. ; Fhatka Mack ranga, Karikata, Beng. ; Ung-ta-
M^Le^ctfrn^^^^^^ JVataranuwa, Gomera PeUhudawa, Cing. ;

Pane-nyin, Bu-daitrnen-jo, Burm.

Coloration. Male. Crown, nape, and small nuchal crest black,
snarincrly streaked with white; lores and a long supercihum white,
a Sk eye-streak from the base of the bill to the ear-coverts,
connected^by a narro^v black hne with the black gorget ; an imper-
fect white collar ; back, scapulars, ^fwing-coverts black edg^^^^
with white ; rump-feathers white, with large ^ f k ^P^^s ; P umaue^
with outer web and terminal portion ot inner black, the lest ^^ hite
TecondarL white, with irregiar black markings iornnngimj.erfect
bars ; taU-feathers white on the basal lialt and on the tip, a broad

120 ALCEDIKIDJE.

black band occupying the greater part of the distal half ; lower
parts, with cheeks and wing-lining, white ; ^ some small elongate
spots forming a malar patch ; two gorgets, the upper the broader, on
the breast, and spots on the flanks forming an imperfect belt, black.
There are often black spots on the throat.

Fig. 34— Head of C. varia, |.

Females want the posterior black gorget and the anterior is
interrupted in the middle.

Bill black ; iris brown ; legs and feet blackish ; soles pale {Legge).

Length about 11*7; tail 3; wing 5-5; tarsus -4; bill from
gape 3.

The Indian bird has usually been referred to the African and
Western Asiatic C. rudis; but the latter differs in having the basal
half of the tail-feathers more or less spotted with black, the black
subterminal bands marked with large white spots, and the black
marks on the throat and flanks less developed. The two are, how-
ever, only just separable.

Distribution. Common throughout India, Ceylon, and Burma in
the plains, wherever there are rivers or large pieces of water, except
in Tenasserim south of Amherst. This Kingfisher ranges east to
China, but not west of Baluchistan, and does not inhabit the
Himalayas, even to the westward, above a very moderate elevation.

Habits, 6,-c. The Pied Kingfisher avoids forest, but is found
haunting all waters in open country. It may be seen on tidal
streams and creeks, on backwaters and even on the sea-shore,
though it is more common inland on rivers, marshes, ditches, and
tanks. It lives entirely on fish, for which it never plunges from a
fixed perch, but it flies over the water, and hovers with its beak
pointed downwards, at a height of frequently 15 or 20 feet above
the surface, when it suspects the presence of a fish. It dives
for its prey after hovering, but not unfrequently checks itself in
its plunge and flies on, uttering from time to time a sharp
twittering cry. It breeds from the end of January till April, and
lays 4 to 6 white, glossy, broadly oval eggs at the end ol a hole
usually made in the perpendicular bank of a river. The eggs
measure about 1"18 by '94.

OERTLB.

1034. Ceryle lugubris. The Himalayan Pied Kingfisher.
Alcedo guttatus, Vigors, P Z S. 1830, p. 22 (nao Bocld. 1783).

fTlolid^ Cat. no. 137 ; Walden in BlytKs Btrds Burm.^. 71
loZUust. J. A. S. B. xlv Pt. 2, p. 69; xlvn P^ 2 p 14
Hume 8r Imjlis, S. F. v. p. 19 ; Hume \^.^\%^: \\' ^T
Binghcm, S. F. viii, p. 193; Oates, B B. a , p. 76 C.H I^
Marshall, Ibis, 1884, ^. 409; .Hume, S. F xi, p. 48, Oates in
Hume's N. ^- E. 2nd ed iii, p. 6. ^^

Ceryle lugubris, Sharpe, Mon. Ale. p. 59 ; id. Cat. B. M. xyu, p. li J-
3f«cA. Bdgh, II. (Dun.) ; J.^ butara, Chamba ; C^.^i/-A;a-./m, Lepcha.
CoZom<io7^. ilfaZ.. Crown and long nuchal crest, y^th the sides
of the head to some distance below the eye.s, ^aclv, with wh^te
oval spots, that become streaks at the side; a broad white collar ,
r mainder' of upper parts greyish black or dark grey, with w4nte
bars • quills and tail black, with transversely elongate white spots.
Low^rVts including cheeks white, a stripe ot black spos^^^^^^^
the point of the chin down each side ot the throat, ^yd^^^"f
lei Jand joining a broad gorget of black ^Pots, the -de^^^^^^^^^
and the gorget tinged to a varying extent with biovvnish luto s
that is rarely entirely wanting ; flanks, wing-lming, and under tail-
feathers barred or spotted with grey or black.

Female. No rufous on throat or gorget; under wmg-coverts

'^ Bifb^l ' gi^^^^^^^^ at the base ; iris dark brown ; legs and feet

^'rel^r^bout 16; tail 4-3; wing 7-4; tarsus -5; bill from

^%Mution. Throughout the Himalayas as far west as Kashmn^
and up to an elevation of 7000 feet to the westward }^^J-^^
eastward- also in the hills south of Assam, and in the lenasserim
MllsTbut'not, so far as is known, in the intervening country.
This species is also found in parts of China and ^^ /^Pf^^

HaUts, 6>-c. This Kingfisher is only f«^i^d«n wooded hi l-streams
though it follows them in places for some distance into the plains
It geferally occurs in pairL It lives on fi«h entirely and us.ial^
sitf in a bush near the water, keeping in the shade ; it swcK,ps
unonfish generally from its perch, but according to Mi. liaKer
X has ghen a/excellent account of its habits, it sometinies
hovers like G. varia. The same observer says this bird has two
notes one like that of other Kingfishers, but less quickly repeated,
the other a guttural croak which serves as a call. It breeds fiom
April to June, and lays 3 or 4 large white, rounded eggs m a
chamber at the end of a hole about 2 feet long.

122 ALCEDINID.E.

Genus ALCEDO, Liim., 1766.

Back bright blue, head banded black and blue. Bill long, com-
pressed ; culmen very slightly curved, the ridge rounded not
flattened above, and with a slight groove on each side. Wing
somewhat pointed, 3rd or 4th quill longest, 1st and 2nd very
little shorter. Tail very short, shorter than the bill and rounded
at the end. Feet weak.

A genus of 10 known species, half of which are Indian. The
generic range extends throughout Europe, Asia, and Africa.

Keif to the Species.

a. Size small ; wing 2-o to 3-2.

a'. Ear-coverts ferruginous in adidts A. isjjida, p. 122.

b' . Ear-coverts blue in adults.

n" . Middle of back pale blue A. beamni, p. 124.

b" . Middle of back deep blue A. meninting, p. 125.

b. Size larger ; wing about 3-.5.

c'. No greeu band across breast.

c". Bars on bead conspicuous, whitish.

blue A. grandis, p. 125.

d". Bars on head inconspicuous, dull

greenish blue A. eiiryzona 5 , p. 126.

d! . A green band across breast A. eunjzona S , P- 126.

1035. Alcedo ispida. The Common Kingfisher.

Alcedo ispida, Linn. Syst. Nat. i, p. 179 (1766); Sharjye, Man. Ale.
p. 1, pi. i; Hu7ne, S. F. i, p. 168; id. Cat. no. 134 bis ; Blanf.
Fast. Pers. n, p. 121 ; Bzitler, S. F. v, p. 208 ; Murray, Vert. Zool.
Sind, p. Ill ; Barnes, Birds Bom. p. 102 ; Sharpe, Cat. B. M. xvii,
p. 141,

Alcedo bengalensis, Gm. Si/st. Nat. i,p. 450 (1788) ; Blyth, Cat. p. 49;
Horsf. 4- M. Cat. p. 129: Adams, P. Z. S. 18.58, p. 474 ; 1859,
p. 174 ; Jerdon, B. I. i, p. 230; Hume Sf Henders. Lah. to Yark.
p. 178; Hume, S. F. i, p. 168; ii, p. 173; xi, p. 46; id. Cat.
no. 134; Blyth S)- Wald. Birds Burm. p. 71 ; Anders. Yunnan Exped.,
Ares, p. 580; Hume Sf Dav. S. F. vi, p. 81 ; Cripps, 8. F. vii,
p. 260 ; Legye, Birds Ceyl. p. 292 ; Oates, B. B. ii, p. 72 ; id. in
Hume's N. ^- E. 2nd ed. iii, p. 1 ; Barnes, Birds Bom. p. 101.

Alcedo siudiana, Hume, S. F. i, p. 168.

The Common Indian Kingfisher, Jerdon ; Chota kilkila, Nita or Nika
machrdla, IT. ; Khandii, Kliandya, Mahr. ; Chota-machranga, B. ; IHnt
Konu, Tunfu, Kashmiri ; Ung-chin, Lepcha ; Nila buche gadu, Tel. ;
Dane^nyin, Burm.

Coloration. Crown and nape transversely banded dusky black
and blue ; lores and a band below the eye to the ear-coverts deep
ferruginous, ending in a white or rufous-white patch at the side
of the neck ; \o\\ev edge of lores black, a broad stripe from the
lower mandible down each cheek blue ; middle of back, rump, and
upper tail-coverts bright blue; scapulars and wing-coverts greenish

ALCEDO. 123

blue, each of the lesser and median coverts tipped with a briglit
blue spot ; quills brown, edged outside with greenish blue ; tail blue
above, brown beneath ; lower parts deep ferruginous, sometimes
paler, always whitish or white on chin and throat. Some birds
are a greener blue than others. Young birds are duller in colour
and have the lower parts tinged with ashy.

Bill black ; basal half of lower mandible in females red or orange ;
iris dusky brown ; feet coral-red {Sharpe).

Length about 7 ; tail 1-4 ; wing 2-75 to 3-1 ; tarsus '37 ; bill
from gape 1*9.

Fig. 35. — Head of A. isjnda, -|.

In accordance with the latest views of Dr. Bowdler Sharpe,
who has made a special study of Eangfishers, I have united the
Indian Kingfisher with the European and Central Asiatic bird.
The former has long been distinguished as A. benr/alensis, on
account of its small size ; but unquestionably the two pass into
each other, and the difference in size is probably due to a very
common peculiarity that tropical races (or perhaps southern races)
in Asia are smaller than those of temperate regions.

Distribution. Throughout Eux'ope and Asia, extending to the
Malay Archipelago. In the British Indian area, this bird is only
wanting in the Himalayas, where it is rarely met with far above
the base of the mountains, though it abounds in Kashmir. It is
of course most common in well-watered countries and comparatively
rare in forest-ti'acts. The smaller race A. hengalensis occurs
throughout South-eastern Asia ; the larger, typical A. ispida only
occurs within Indian limits in Sind and Baluchistan, but inter-
mediate forms are common.

Habits, t|-c. The Common Kingfisher frequents streams of all
sizes, marshes, tanlvs, irrigation-channels, road-side ditches, flooded
paddy-fields, and even the sea-shore, anywhere, in fact, where small
fish may be found, and perches on a tree or stump, and veiy often
on a reed, or any post of vantage overlooking the water ; from its
perch it plunges after its prey. It lives mainly on fish, occasionally
on tadpoles or water-insects, but it is rarely, if ever, seen away
from water. Very often these little Kingfishers are in pairs and
they are exceedingly pugnacious, each pair driving away all others
of the same species. It has a peculiar whistling cry or call,
frequently uttered. Its flight is very swift and straight, generally
just above the surface of the water. It breeds in India from
January to June, earlier in the South of India than in the North,

124 ALCEDINID.f:.

but in some parts it breeds at other seasons. It digs in a bank
immediately over water, usually a stream, a narrow hole, about
2 feet in depth and rarely more than 2 inches in diameter,
terminating in a chamber about 5 inches in diameter and 3 or 4
high, in which 5 to 7 eggs are laid, very often on a few fish-bones.
The eggs are white and glossy and measure -8 by '68.

1036. Alcedo beavani. Beavan's Kingfisher.

Alcedo meninting, apuil Beavan, Ibis, 1867, p. 319 ; Blanf. Ibis, 1870,
p. 465 ; Outes, S. F. v, p. 143 ; Brooks, S. F. viii, p. 468 ; Salva-
dori, Ann. Mus. Civ. Gen. (2) iv, p. 584 (nee Horsf.).

Alcedo asiatica, a2md Ball, S. F. i, p. 59; Hume, S. F. ii, p. 174;
Ball, S. F. iii, p. 289 ; Bli/t/i Sr Wald. Birds Burm. p. 71 ; Hume,
S. F. iv, p. 383 ; Oates, B. B. ii, p. 73 ; id. in Hume's N. ^- E. 2nd
ed. iii, p. 6 {nee Swainso7i).

Alcedo rutiffastra, Wald. A. M. N. H. (4) xii, p. 487 (1873) ; id.
Ibis, 1874, p. 136.

Alcedo beavani, Wald. A. M. N. H. (4) xiv, p. 158 (1874) ; id. Ibis,
1875, p. 461 ; Godw.-Aust. J. A. S. B. xlv, pt. 2, p. 193; Hume ^
Dav. IS. F. vi, pp. 84, 499 ; Ball, S. F. vii, p. 204 ; Hume, Caf.
no. 135 quat. ; Hime, S. F. ix, p. 247 ; xi, p. 47 ; Butler, S. F. ix,
p. 883 ; Davison, S. F. x, p. 351 ; Barnes, Birds Bom. p. 102 ; S/iarpe,
Cat. B. M. xvii, p. 160.

Coloration. Crown, nape, and hind neck black, with bright blue
cross-bands ; lores ferruginous, the lower border black ; sides of
head and cheeks bright blue, an elongate buff or white spot on
each side of the neck behind the ear-coverts ; middle of back and
rump bright light blue, sometimes with a slight greenish tint ;
upper tail-coverts rather darker blue ; scapidars, wing-coverts, and
outer margins of secondary quills dull blue, most of the coverts
each with a bright blue spot at the tip ; quills brown, with the
inner margins pale rufous ; tail deep blue above, black below ;
chin and throat buffy white ; rest of lo^^"er parts, including wing-
lining, deep ferruginous.

Adidt females resemble males ; young birds have the cheeks and
ear-coverts rufous, and the blue on these parts appears to be more
slowly assumed by females than by males.

Bill black, orange at the gape and base ; iris dark brown ; legs
bright red, claws red. Young birds have most of the lower
mandible red and the tip white (Oates).

Length about 6-2; tail 1-25; wdng 2-5; tarsus '35; bill from
gape 1-8-2-2.

Distrihiition. This Kingfisher is very rare west of the Bay of
Bengal, but has been obtained in Travancore and west of Belgaum
near the Malabar coast, also in the Eajmehal Hills, Manbhoom, and
Cuttack, and, quite recently, in Ceylon. It is more common at
the base of the Himalayas in Sikhim and Bhutan, in Assam and
Cachar, in various parts of Burma from Bhamo to Southern Tenas-
serim, and in the Andaman Islands, but it is locally distributed.
It has also been brought from Cochin China and Celebes.

ALCEDO. 125

Habits, Sfc. Very similar to those of A. isptda, except that this
is purely a forest species, being restricted to woodland streams.
The eggs, 4 to 6 in number, were taken from the usual nest-
holes by Mr. Gates in Pegu in the month of July ; they were
glossy white and round, and measured about '78 by -69.

1037. Alcedo meninting. The Malayan Kingfisher.

Alcedo meninting, Horsf. Tr. Linn, Soc. xiii, p. 172 (1821) ; Blyt/t,

Cat p. 49 ; Horsf. ^ M. Cat. p. 130 ; Hume ^ Dav. S. F.

vi, p. 83 ; Hume, Cat. no. 135 ter; Sharpe, Cat. B. M. xvii,

p. 1-57.
Alcedo asiatica, Swains. Zool. III. 1st ser. i, pi. 50 (1821) ; Sharpe,

Mon. Ale. p. 23, pi. 5.

Coloration. Precisely similar to that of A. beavani, except that
the blue of the upper parts is deeper, the spots on the wing-
coverts especially being comparatively inconspicuous ; and the
middle of the back is deep cobalt. Measurements as in A.
beavani.

I am disposed to agree with Gates and to regard A. beavani as
merely a bright-coloured variety. Hume was inclined to the same
view, and the chstribution of the two is anomalous if they are
distinct ; but when a series of both is laid out, there is a percep-
tible difference between them.

Distribution. Malay Peninsida, extending into the extreme
south of Tenasserim, also in Sumatra, Java, and Borneo.

1038, Alcedo grandis. Blyth's Kingfisher.

Alcedo grandis, Blyth, J. A. S. B. xiv, p. 190 (1845) ; id. Cat.
p. 49 ; id. Ibis, 1865, p. 30, 1866, p. 348; Sharpe, Mon. Alc.-p. 19,
pi. 3 ; Jerdon, Ibis, 1872, p. 4 ; Godw.-Aust. J. A. S. B. xlv, pt. 2,
p. 69 ; xlvii, pt. 2, p. 14 ; Hume, Cat. no. 135 ; id. S. F. xi, p. 47 ;
Gates in Hume's N. ^ F. 2nd ed. iii, p. 4 ; Sharpe, Cat. B. M.
xvii, p. 156.

Alcedo euryzona, apud Blyth, Cat., Addenda, p. xxviii ; Jerdon, B. I.
1, p. 231 ; nee Temm.

The Great Indian Kingfisher, Jerdon.

Coloration. Whole cap and nape black, with small bluish-white
transverse bars ; a ferruginous spot on the black lores ; a pale
patch in front of the eye, another behind and below it ; cheeks
and ear-coverts blackish, spotted and streaked with bright greenish
blue ; a white longitudinal stripe on each side of the neck ;
middle of back and rump bright pale blue, becoming deeper blue
on the vipper tail- coverts ; scapulars and wings dull green outside,
with some bright bluish-white specks on the coverts ; quills
brown, some of the secondaries with greenish-blue edges ; tail
deep blue above, dark brown below ; lower parts deep ferruginous,
whitish on throat and chin. Sexes, so far as is known, alike.

Bill black, red at the base of the lower mandible ; feet red
{Jerdon).

126 ALC'EDINIDiE.

Length about 8 ; tail 1-8; wing 3-8; tarsus -42; bill from
gape 2*5.

Distribution, This Kingfisher has only been obtained at low
elevations in the Sikhim and Bhutan Himalayas, in the Dafla
hills east of Bhutan, and in some of the hills south of the Assam
valley.

Habits, ^r. These were unknown until an excellent account of
them was given in the ' Asian ' ne\\spaper by " Eekab " (Mr.
Steuart Baker). He found the bird very shy, keeping to streams
in dense jungle, and feeding chiefly or wholly on fish. It is a
silent bird, its note, only uttered on the wing, resembling that of
A. is_pida, and its flight is exceedingly rapid. The eggs, taken on
three occasions in April, were from 2 to ^ in number, laid on fish-
bones at the end of a burrow, varying from 1 to 6 feet in length — in
two cases in dark ravines through which a little water trickled in
the rains, and in the third on the slope of a hill amongst the roots
of a tree.

1039. Alcedo euryzona. T?ie Broad-zoned Kingfisher.

Alcedo euryzona, Temm. PL Col. text to pi. 508 (1830) ; Horsf. i^-
M. Cat. p. 128; Sharpe, Man. Ale. p. 29, pi. 8 ; Hume, S. F. iii,
p. 318 ; Oates, B. B. ii, p. 75 ; Sharpe, Cat. B. M. xvii, p. 154.

Alcedo nigricans, Blyth, J. A. S. B. xvi, p. 1180 (1847) ; id. Cat.
p. 49 ; Hume 8f Dav. S. F. vi, pp. 81, 499 ; Hume, Cat. no. 135
bis ; Bingham, S. F. ix, p. 156.

Coloration. Male. Crown and nape sooty black, with narrow
faint greenish bars ; lores dull ferruginous ; cheeks and ear-coverts
bluish black, mixed with dull green ; a ferruginous or whitish
band on each side of the neck, forming an imperfect collar ;
middle of back and rump very pale blue, upper tail-coverts deeper
blue ; scapulars and wings sooty black, the scapulars and coverts
tipped and the inner quills edged near the base with greenish blue ;
tail black, washed above with dark blue ; lower parts huffy white,
a broad band of didl green across the breast, the feathers with
white centres ; flanks dusky ; wing-hning rufescent.

Female. Lower parts ferruginous, chin and throat whitish ; no
band across breast ; upper parts as in males.

tipper mandible black, lower very dark brown, paler at the
base in males, dull vermilion in females ; iris dark brown ; feet
milion {Davison).

Length about 8; tail 1'5 ; wing 3-4; tarsus -48; bill from
gape 2'4.

Distribution. Tenasserim, as far north as Muleyit east of
Moulmein, also in the Malay Peninsula, Sumatra, Java, and
Borneo.

Habits, ^e. This is a rare and shy bird, found only on streams
in deep forest, and apparently restricted in Tenasserim to the
hills. It is generally seen in pairs, lives entirely, so far as is
known, on fish, and has a note similar to that of A. isjjida.

CBYX. 1 27

Genus CEYX, Lacepede, 1801.

Bill intermediate in form between Alcedo and Ilalq/on, less com-
pressed than in the former, not grooved ; culm en straight and
slio-htly flattened. Only three toes, the inner or second wanting.
Tail very short and rounded. Plumage very bright, red often
predominating.

This is a genus of IS species, ranging almost throughout the
Oriental region and to the Papuan Islands. One species is
Indian.

1040. Ceyx tridactyla. The Indian Three-toed Kinr/JIsher.

Alcedo tridactyla, Pallas, Spic. Zool. \\, p. 10, pi. ii, fig-. 1 (1769).

Alcedo erithaca et purpurea, Gm. Syst. Nat. i, p. 449 (1788).

Ceyx tridactyla, Jerdon, III. Lid. Orn. pi. 25 ; id. B. I. i, p. 229 ;
Horsf. S^- M. Cat. p. 391 ; Layard, A. M. N. H. (2) xii, p. 172 ;
Sharpe, Man. Ale. p. 119, pi. 40; Hume, S. F. ii, p. 17-3; iii,
p. 51 ; iv, p. 287 ; v, p. 19 ; xi, p. 45 ; id. Cat. no. 133 ; Btitler,
S. F. ii, p. 455 ; v, p. 503 ; ix, p. 383 ; Walden, Ibis, 1874, p. 137 ;
£lyth ^- Wald. Birds Burm. p. 71 ; Hume ^- Bav. S. F. vi, pp. 80,
499; Godw.-Aust. J. A. S. B. xlvii, pt. 2, p. 14; Leyc/e, Birds
Ceyl. p. 303 ; Binyham, S. F. viii, p. 193 ; ix, p. 155 ; Parker, S. F.
ix, p. 478; Oates, B. B. ii, p. 80; Salvadori, Ann. Mus. Civ. Gen.
(2) iv, p. 587 ; vii, p. 433 ; Barnes, Birds Bom. p. 101 ; Oates in
Hume's N. S^- E. 2ud ed. iii, p. 13 ; Sharpe, Cat. B. M. xvii,
p. 174.

Ceyx microsoma, Bwton, P. Z. S. 1837, p. 89.
Ceyx erythaca, Blyth, Cat. p. 50.
The Three-toed Purple Khiyfisher, Jerdon ; .Dein-nyyeen, Arrakan ;
Punchi Mal-joelilmdiiwu, Cing.

Coloration. A spot, pointed behind, at base of forehead black,
washed with purple ; crown, nape, hind neck, lower back, rump,
and upper tail-coverts orange-red, with a ruddy violet gloss, espe-
cially over the eye and ou the rump and upper tail-coverts ; a
black spot before the eye ; lores, cheeks, ear-coverts, and lower
parts from the throat orange-yellow ; chin and throat white ; a
deep blue spot behind the ear-coverts bordered behind by white ;
scapulars and interscapulary region deep purplish blue ; wing dark
brown outside, coverts tinged with deep blue ; edge of wing and
smallest coverts, under wing-coverts, outer edge of first primary,
and inner borders of all quills rufous ; tail orange-red.

Bill and feet bright vermUion-red ; irides brown (Davison). In
the young the bill is paler and shorter.

Length about 5*5; tail 1; wing 2-2; tarsus -3; bill from
gape 1'55.

Distribution. Ceylon, rare ; Caruatic and west coast of Southern
India according to Jerdon, but very rare ; also some of the Sahyadri
forests near Bombay. I find no other localities recorded in the
Indian Peninsula, but Jerdon says this species is scattered,
though far from common, over all India. To the eastward this
Kingfisher is found in Lower Bengal, the SLkhim and Bhutiin

128 ALCEDINIDiE.

Terai, Assam, Cachar, and the Burmese countries generally, with
the Malay Peninsula, and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

Hahits, Sfc. A forest bii'd, usually found singly or in pairs by
hill-streams, but sometimes away from water. It has a shrill
piping note, and its food, so far as is known, consists of small fish
perhaps also of water-insects. It breeds from May to August,
often away from water, in a hole dug by itself, and it lays 4 to 6,
or even 7, very small white eggs, less rounded than those of
Alcedinidce in general.

Genus PELARGOPSIS, Gloger, 1842.

Size large ; back and rump pale blue, lower parts buff. Bill very
large and strong ; culmen flattened, perfectly straight, with a well-
marked groove on each side. Third or fourth quill longest, first
about equal to tenth. Tail much longer than bill, slightly rounded
at the end.

This genus I'anges throughout the Oriental region ; three species
occur within the Indian area.

Keij to the Species.

a. Wings and tail brown P. amauroptera, p. 128.

b. Wings and tail blue or greenish blue.

a'. No distinct brown cap ; mantle blue .... P. leucocephala, p. 129.
v. A distinct brown cap ; mantle dull green. P. yurial, p. 129.

1041. Pelargopsis amauroptera. Tlie Brown-winged Kincjjislier.

Halcyon amauropterus, Pearson, J. A. S. B. x, p. 635 (1841) ; Blyth,

Cat. p. 313; Horsf. Sf M. Cat. p. 124; Jerdon, B. I. i, p. 224;

Blnnf. Ibis, 1870, p. 465 ; Cripps, S. F. vii^ p. 260.
Pelargopsis amauroptera, Sliarpe, P. Z. S. 1870, p. 63 ; id. Man. Ale.

p. 97, pi. 30; Blyth S,- Wald. Birds Burm. p. 70; Armstrong, S.F.

\\, p. 305 ; H^nne 8f Dav. S. F. vi, p. 73 ; Hume, Cat. no. 128 ;

Gates, B. B. ii, p. 78 ; ShariK, Cat. B. M. xvii, p. 97.

Coloration. "Whole head, neck, and lower parts, including wing-
lining, deep ochreous buff (brownish yellow) ; middle of back and
rump bright pale blue ; a narrow band across the upper back,
scapulars, wings, upper tail-coverts, and tail dark brown. In young
birds there are dusky edges to the buff feathers, especially on the
hind neck and breast.

Bill deep crimson ; irides brown ; eyelids brick-red ; legs scarlet
(Cripps). The biU is black at the tip and for some distance up
the culmen in immatm-e birds.

Length about 14 inches ; tail 4 ; wing 5*8 ; tarsus '7 ; bill
from gape 3'75.

Distribution. On tidal rivers and creeks, brackish or salt, near
the coast, from Bengal to a httle south of Tenasserim ; also occa-
sionally, but rarely, near rivers above the tideway.

Habits, (^c. This Kingfisher is generally seen on salt-water
creeks. It is a noisy bird with a harsh grating cry. Nidification
unknown.

PELARGOPSIS. 129

1042. Pelargopsis leucocephala. The Nicohar StorTc-Ulled
Kingfisher.

Alcedo leucocepliala, Orn. Syst. Nat. i, p. 456 (1788).

Pelargopsis leucocephala, Shariye, P. Z. S. 1870, p. 64 ; id. Mon. Ale.

p. 99, pi. 31.
Pelargopsis fraseri, Ball, S. F. i, p. 57 ; nee Sharpe.
Pelargopsis intermedia, Hume, S. F. ii, p. 166 (1874) ; id. Cat.

no. 127 ter; Sharpe, S. F. ii, p. 489; id. Cat. B. M. xvii, p. 99.

Coloration. "Whole head, neck, and lower pai-ts, including wing-
lining, deep ochreous (brownish yellow) ; the crown spotted irregu-
larly with brown from some of the feathers having dark brown
centres, but there is no distinct cap ; upper back, scapulars, wings
above, longer upper tail-coverts, and tail above deep blue, shghtly
greenish on the upper back, scapulars, and wing-coverts ; primaries,
except the outer webs near the base, inner webs of secondaries,
and lower surface of quills and tail-feathers dark brown ; middle
of back, rump, and anterior upper tail-coverts bright pale cobalt-
blue.

Bdl coral-red, dusky towards the tip ; irides deep brown ; orbital
skin and feet bright orange-vermilion {Davison).

Length about 15 ; tail 4 ; wing 6 ; tarsus -GS ; biU from gape
3-75.

Distribution. Borneo and the Nicobar Islands. Specimens from
the latter were distinguished by Hume under the name P. inter-
media on account of being deeper in colour, especially on the back,
and wanting the whitish throat. I find, however, that fine Borneau
skins are not distinguishable.

Habits, Sfc. A salt-water form, occasionally seen on the sea-shore,
and haunting tidal creeks like P. amaurojjtera. Nidification
unknown.

1043. Pelargopsis gurial. The Brown-headed Stork-billed
Kingfisher.

Halcyon capensis, Jerdon, Madr. Jour. L. 8. xi, p. 231 ; Layard,

A.M.N. H. (2) xii, p. 171 ; nee L.
Halcyon gurial, Pearson, J. A. S. B. x, p. 632 (1841) ; Blyth, Cat.

p. 47 ; id. Ibis, 1865, p. 80 ; Godw.-Aust. J. A. 8. B. xxxix, pt. 2,

p. 95.
Halcyon bruniceps, Jerdon, Madr. Jour. L. 8. xiii, pt. 2, p. 143

(1845).
Halcyon leucocephalus, Horsf. ^ M. Cat. p. 123 (partim) ; Jerdon,

B^.I. i, p. 222 ; McMaster, J. A. 8. B. xl, pt. 2, p. 108 ; nee Gm.
Halcyon capensis, Walden, P. Z. 8. 1866, p. 553 ; nee L.
Pelargopsis gurial, Sharpe, P. Z. 8. 1870, p. 66 ; id. Mon. Ale. p. 105,

pi. 34 ; Ball, 8. F. ii, p. 386 ; vii, p. 203 ; Fairb. 8. F. iv, p. 254 ;

v, p. 394 ; Hume, 8. F. \, p. 18; xi, p. 44; id. Cat. no. 127;

Cripps, 8. F. vii, p. 259 ; Legye, Birds Ceyl. p. 295 ; Vidal, 8. F.

ix, p. 49 ; Reid, 8. F. x, p. 21 ; Davidson, ibid. p. 296 ; Davison,

ibid. p. 351 ; Barnes, Birds Bom. p. 98 ; Littledale, Jour. Bom.
VOL. Ill, K

130 ALCEDINID^.

N. H. Soc. i, pp. 82, 197 ; Oates in Hume's N. ^ E. 2r]d ed. iii,

p. 11; Sharpe, Cat. B. M. xvii, p. 101.
Pelargopsis burmanica, Sharpe, P. Z. S. 1870, p. 67 ; id. Mon. Ale.

p. 109, pi. 35 ; Boll, J. A. S. B. xli, pt. 2, p. 277 ; id. S. F. i, p. 67 ;
Walden, Ibis, 1874, p. 136 ; Hume, S. F. ii, p. 165 ; iii, p. 50; id.
Cat. no. 127 lis; Blyth 6r Wald. Birds Burm. p. 70; Biyigham,
S. F. V, p. 83 : ix, p. 154 ; Hume ^ Dav. S. F. vi, p. 73 ; Oates,
B. B. ii, p. 78 ; id. in Humes N. ^ E. 2ud ed. iii, p. 12 ; Sharpe,
Cat. B. M. xvii, p. 104.

The Brown-headed Kingjisher, Jerdon : Gurial Beng. ; Badami Kow-
rilla, H. (Oude); Maha pelihudinca, Waturanmca, Ciug. ; H sin-pa y-
nyin, Burin.

Fig. 36.— Head of P. yurial, |.

Coloration. Crown, nape, and sides of head, including the
cheeks and ear-coverts, brown, varying in shade from dark brown
to (in some Burmese birds) whity-brown ; neck all round and
lower parts, including wing-lining, varying from buff to deep
brownish yellow, usually deeper on the breast and abdomen ; upper
back, scapulars, wings, longer tail-coverts, and tail dull greenish
blue ; quills and tail bluer ; primaries except outer webs towards
the base, inner webs of secondaries, and lower surface of tail
brown ; back, rump, and shorter tail-coverts bright pale blue.

In young birds the buff feathers of the neck and breast have
dark edges ; the end of the bill, too, is dusky.

Bill dark blood-red ; irides light brown ; legs dull scarlet
(Jerdon). Eyelids pinkish fleshy, the edges red (Oates).

Length about 15 ; tail 4 ; win'g 6 ; tarsus -75 ; bill from gape 3-8.

The Burmese race has been distinguished as P. burmanica. Very-
many Burmese specimens have pale whity-brown caps and dark
ocbraceous lower parts, but birds in abundance occur throughout
Burma that are absolutely undistinguishable from many Indian
individuals. Very dark-headed birds are peculiar to India (the
darkest are from "the Malabar coast), but they are not a majority.
The two races are not, I think, sufficiently distinct to be classed
apart.

Distrihution. Along rivers and streams and about large pieces
of water in well-wooded countries almost throughout the Empire.

HALCYON. 131

Wanting in Eajputana, Sind, and the Punjab, and very rare in
the open tracts of the North-west Provinces and Central India,
on the Deccan tableland, and in the Carnatic ; but occurring in
Guzerat and throughout the Malabar coast and in Ceylon, in the
wooded country between the Godavari and Bengal, near the base
of the Himalayas as far west as Dehra Dun, and, still more
commonly, in Bengal, Assam, Burma, and the Andamau Islands.
This Kingfisher ranges into the northern part of the Malay
Peninsula, and to Siam, Cambodia, and Cochin China. Farther
south in the Malay Peninsula it is represented by another race,
P. fraseri.

Habits, Sfc. Unlike the last two, this is chiefly a freshwater
Kingfisher, though it may occasionally be seen on tidal streams.
It is more often found on well- wooded rivers, large marshes, or
tanks, perched on a branch overhanging the water, and plunging
occasionally for fish. It also feeds on frogs, crabs, and it is said
mollusca. According to Davison, it sometimes eats lizards. It has
a loud peculiar cry several times repeated, generally uttered diu-ing
flight. It breeds from April to June in Northern India, earlier iu
the South, generally in a hole in the bank of a stream ; but
Mr. Cripps in Assam found a nest in a dead and rotten tree, and
Major Bingham in Tenasserim obtained the eggs from a nest of
grass-roots in the fork of a bamboo, and saw the parent bird
distinctly. The eggs, 3 to 5 in number, are of the usual Kingfisher
type, and measure about 1'17 by 1-05.

Genus HALCYON, Swainson, 1820.

There is much difference of opinion as to the limits of the
present genus. In the British Museum Catalogue it comprises
the forms here referred to CalliaUyon, Sauropatis, and Caridcu/rus,
and contains 53 species, whilst by many writers it is restricted to
the type H. sencgaletisis and its allies. I do not see any necessity
for generically distinguishing H. smymensis and IT. pileata from
H. senegalensis ; but the differences between Halcyon and Sauro-
patis, for instance, appear to me quite as great as those usually
regarded as of generic importance in the present work.

In Halcyon the bill is red throughout, large, rather broad at the
base, the culmen straight, rounded above and without any
distinct groove at the side. The wing is rounded, the 3rd quill
generally longest. Tail moderate, longer than culmen, slightly
rounded at the end. One of the characteristic features iu the
plumage is the presence of a large white patch on the wing
formed by the basal portions of the primary quills.

Key to the Species.

Head and neck above chestnut ; no white collar. H. smymensis, p. 132.

Crown black j a white collar H. pileata, p. 133.

k2

132 alobdinidjE.

1044. Halcyon smyrnensis. Tlie Wliite-breasted Kingfisher.

Alcedo smyrnensis, Linn. Syst. Nat. i, p. 181 (1766).

Alcedo fusca, Bodd. Tahl. PL Enl. p. 54 (1783).

Halcyon smyrnensis, SyJces, P. Z. S. 1832, p. 84 ; Jerdon, Madr.
Jour. L. S. xi, p. 230 ; Blytli, Cat. p. 47 ; Sharpe, Mon. Ale. p. 161
pi. 59 ; Himne, S. F. i, 'p. 168 ; ii, p. 167 ; xi, p. 44 ; id. Cat
no. 129 ; Hume Sf Da v. S. F. vi, p. 74 ; Anderson, Yunnan Exped.
Aves, p. 579 ; Leyge, Birds Ceyl. p. 298 ; Gates, B. B. ii, p. 82
Murray, Vert. Zool. Sind, p. 110 ; Barnes, Birds Bom. p. 99 ; Oates
in Hume's N. 8f E. 2nd ed. iii, p. 15 ; Sharpe, Cat. B. M. xvii, p. 222

Halcyon fuscus, Horsf. Sf M. Cat. p. 125 ; Jerdon, B. I. i, p. 224
Blyth, Ibis, 1866, p." 347.

Halcyon saturatior, Hume, S. F. ii, pp. 168, 531 ; id. Cat. no. 129 bis
Sharpe, Cat. B. M. xvii, p. 226.

Kilkila, H. : Nula muchrdla, Chamba ; Khandu, Khandya, Mabr.
Sada-buk Machranga, Benp:. ; Lak-muka, Buche gadu, Tel. ; Vichuli
Tam. ; Kalari Kuruvi, Tam. (Ceylon) ; Pelihudmva, Cing. ; Dane-nyin
Burm.

Coloration. Chin, throat, and middle of breast white, all the
rest of head, neck, and lower plumage deep chestnut or chocolate-
brown ; scapulars and interscapulary tract, tertiaries, outer webs
of secondaries above, and upper siu"face of tail blue, generally with
a greenish tinge ; lower back, rump, and upper tail-coverts
brighter blue ; greater wing-coverts duller and darker blue,
median coverts black, lesser chestnut ; secondary quills except on
outer web above black ; ends of primaries, much longer on the
outer than the inner, black, basal portion white, with the outer
web above pale blue.

Bill dark red, the margins brownish ; iris brown ; legs coral-
red (Oates).

Length about 11; tail 3-3; wing 4*7; tarsus -65; bill from
gape 2-8.

The Andaman birds were distinguished by Hume as H. satura-
tior on account of their deep coloration, the blue portion of the
plumage being a darker blue and the chestnut parts chocolate-
brown. The size too is rather large. But similarly coloured
individuals, though rare, may be found in India and Ceylon.

Distribution. Throughout India, Burma, and Ceylon, except in
the Himalayas, into which this species only penetrates up to a
moderate elevation to the westward. It is generally rare or
wanting on the higher hills of the Peninsula, though Davison
obtained it on the Nilgiri plateau. Outside of India it ranges
throughout the Malay Peninsula, Cochin China, &c., to Southern
China, and westwards through Persia and Baluchistan to Asia
Minor and Cyprus.

Habits, ijC. This, like Alcedo ispida and Ceryle varia, is a common
Indian bird, but its habits are very different from those of the
other two Kingfishers, for though it occasionally, but rarely,
catches fish by plunging after them, it lives chiefly on insects and
small lizards, and sometimes on mice or land-crabs. It has a

HALCYON. 1^^

screaming cry, almost always uttered during flight. It breeds
from March to July, laying 4 to 7 white rounded eggs ma
chamber at the end of the usual burrow, which is generally made
in the bank of a stream or tank, sometimes m a well, or on a
cliff. In Cachar, however, Mr. E. C. Steuart Baker has described
this bird as building a roughly constructed nest oi moss amongst
rocks or large stones. The eggs measure on an average fid
by 1-03.

1045. Halcyon pileata. The Blad--capped Kingfisher.

Alcedo pileata, BocM. Tahl. PI. Enl. p. 41 (1783)
Alcedo atricapilla, Gm. Si/st. Nat. i, p. 453 (1'88).

Hu77ie, S. F. ii, p. 1(38 ; iv, p. 287. ^ , ^^ „ v v w

Halcyon pileata, Sharpe, Man. Ale. p. 169, pi. 62 ; Hume, S. I.n,
p. 470; xi, p. 45; id. Cat. no. 130; Annstr. S. F. iV' P- -^O^
mth If Wald. Birds Burm. p. 70; Wardl.-Rams Ibis \^7,
p. 456 iGodw.-Aust. J. A. S. B. xlvii, pt. 2, p 14 -Hume 8f Ba^
S. F vi, pp. 74, 499; Lec/ge, Birds Ceyl. ^ 301; ^"'^^".'f' '^.f:
viii, p. 193 ; ix, p. 154 ; Tidal, S. F ix, p. 49 ; Oates,B. B.n,^. 8o ,
Barnes, Birds Bom. p. 100 ; Sharpe, Cat. B. M. xvu, p. 229.
The Black-capped Purple Kingfisher, Jerdon.

Fig. 37.— Head of H. pileata, |.

Cohration. Crown, nape, and sides of head black a few while
feathers below the eye ; a broad white or buff collar round the
neck, followed by a blackish band; scapulars, back, rump, upper
tail-coverts, upper surface of tail, outer webs of secondaries and
tertiaries outside, and greater primary-coverts deep blue, brighter
on the lower back and rump; remainder of upper wmg-covert.
black ; primary-quills black at the tips, the fii^t primaries for hat
their ength, the inner primaries for less, basal portion white with
the outer web pale lilac, a little of the outer web beyond the lilac
part blue, secondaries black except on the dorsal surface of the
outer web outside : chin, throat, and micd e of breast white ; sides
of throat and breast and remainder of lower surface, with the
wing-lining, ferruginous buff ; tail black beneath.

In young birds and in many females the breast-feathers have
dark borders, and there are black spots on the sides of the throat.

134 alcediniDjE.

Bill deep red ; iris dark brown ; legs dark red (Gates).

Length about 12 ; tail 3*25 ; wing 5 ; tarsus -6 ; bill from
gape 2-8.

Distribution. A single specimen was obtained by Jerdon at
Tellicherry, Malabar coast, and another by Layard in Northern
Ceylon. The only other known locahty in India is on the
Ganges, where this Kingfisher has been found as high as
Monghyr. It is more common in the Sundarbans and down the
Burmese coast, being especially abundant in the Irravvaddy
delta. It also occurs in the Andaman and Xicobar Islands. It
is seldom found inland, but Oates obtained a specimen on the
Irrawaddy at Palow, below Thayet Myo, and it appears, according
to Davison and Bingham, to wander up the Tenasserim rivers
from September till February. It ranges through the Malay
Peninsula and Archipelago to Celebes, also through Siam, Cam-
bodia and China, to Corea.

Habits, Sfc. This Kingfisher, though chiefly found on salt-water
creeks and mangrove-swamps, haunts fresh-water streams at times.
It lives on fish and crabs and has, like most Kingfishers, a shrill
cry.

Genus CALLIALCYON, Bp., 1850.

This genus is distinguished by its peculiar plumage, being
rufous throughout except on the lower back and rump. There is
no white on the primaries. Otherwise there is no diff'erence
from Halajon. A single species.

1046. Callialcyon lilacina. The RuJ/hj Kingfisher.

Alcedo coromanda, Latham, Ind. Orn. \, p. 252 (1790).

Halcyon coromanda, Steph. Shaw's Gen. Zool. xiii, pt. 2, p. 100 ;

Sharjje, Man. Ale. p. 155, p. .57 ; Ball, J. A. S. B. xli, pt. 2, p. 277 :

Hume, S. F. ii, pp. 169, 494 ; xi, p. 44 ; id. Cat. no. 131 ; Bli/th ^

Wald. Birds Burm. p. 70 : Wardl.-Iiamsay, Ibis, 1877, p. 456 ;

Hume 4 Bav. S. F. vi, p. 75 ; Oates, B. B. ii, p. 81 ; Sharpe, Cat.

B. M. xvii, p. 217.
Halcvon lilacina, Sivains. Classif. B. ii, p. 335 (1837) ; Bona]?. Consj).

Av. i, p. 156.
Alcyon calipyga, Hodtjs. in Gray^s Zool. Misc. p. 82 (1844), descr.

nulla.
Halcyon coromauder, Blyth, Cat. p. 47.
Halcvon coromandelianus, Horsf. ^~ M. Cat. p. 126 ; Jerdon, B. I.

i, p. 227.
Callialcyon coromanda, Walden, Ibis, 1873, p. 302.

Coloration. Upper parts, with the wing and tail, and sides of
the head and neck light chestnut or cinnamon, more or less over-
laid with a red-violet gloss ; middle of lower back and rump white,
mixed with pale blue and occasionally with violet ; lower parts
rufous, varying in depth, paler on the throat and chin.

Toung with dark edges to the breast-feathers.

Bill red, blackish at the base ; iris brown ; legs and claw"s red
(Oates).

SAUEOPATIS. 135

Length about 10-25 ; tail 2-6 ; wing 4-3 ; tarsus -65 ; bill
from gape 2'5.

Skins from the base of the Himalayas and from Burma, even
from Tenasserim, are paler above and below, and much less
suffused with violet gloss than Andaman specimens, and the
latter are rather larger. The difference appears greater than in
the case of H. smf/rnensis and the variety H. saturatior. Andaman
birds resemble those from the Malay Peninsula and Archipelago
(true H. lilacina). Indo-Burmese birds are more Hke Japanese
(if. schlegeli).

The specific name coromanda, although the oldest, cannot be
applied to a bird that is not found in the Peninsula of India.

Distribution. Lower Himalayas up to about 5000 feet, in East-
ern Nepal, Sikhim, and farther East; Assamese and Burmese
countries, generally distributed but rare ; also the Andaman and
Nicobar Islands, Malay Peninsula, Java, Sumatra, Borneo, Celebes,
the PhiUppines, Eastern China, and Japan.

Habits, ^-c. A shy bird, generally found in forests and not un-
frequently near the coast in mangrove-swamps.

Genus SAUROPATIS, Cab., 1860.

Bill shorter and broader than in Halcyon, and black not red,
above at all events : lower mandible much more curved upwards.
Plumage marked by a prevalence of bluish green or greenish blue.
Sexes ahke. This group is chiefly found in the Malay Archipelago,
Austraha, and Polynesia, but two species come within our limits.

Key to the Species.

Crown not surrounded by a buff or white band . . >S'. Moris, p. 135.
Crown surrounded by a buft' band inside a black

one S. occipitalis, p. 137.

1047. Sauropatis chloris. The White-collared Kingfisher.

Alcedo chloris, Bodd. Tabl. PI. Enl. p. 49 (1783).

Alcedo coUaris, Scop. Del. Flor. et Faun. Insuh. ii, p. 90 (1786).

Todirhamphus collaris, Blyth, Cat. p. 48 ; Jerdon, B. I. \, p. 228 ;

Walden, P. Z. S. 1866, p. 554 ; Blyth, Ibis, 1866, p. 221 ; Beamn,

Ibis, 1867, p. 319; 1869, p. 409.
Halcyon collaris, Horsf. ^ M. Cat. p. 127.
Sauropatis chloris, Cab. 8c Heine, Mas. Hein. pt. 2, p. 160 ; Walden,

Ibis, 1873, p. 302 ; Blyth 8f Wald. Birds Burm. p. 71 ; Salvadori,

Ann. Mus. Civ. Gen. (2), vii, p. 433.
Halcyon chloris, 8harpe, Man. Ale. p. 229, pi. 87 ; Ball, S. F. i,

p. 58 ; Hume, S. F. i, p. 451 ; ii, p. 170 ; vii, p. 168 ; id. Cat.

no. 132 ; Armstrong, S. F. iv, p. 306 ; Hume ^ Dav. S. F. vi,

p. 78 ; Vidal, S. F. viii, p. 414 ; ix, p. 50 ; Oates, B. B. ii, p. 85 ;

Barnes, Birds Bom. p. 100 ; Davison, Ibis, 1885, p. 332 ; Sharpe,

Cat. B. xvii, p. 273, pi. vii, fig. 3.

136 AXiCEDINID^.

Halcyon armstrongi {subspecies of H, cliloris), Skm-pe, t. c. p. 277,

pi. Tii, fig. 1.
Halcyon vidali (subsj). o/H. cbloris), S/nirpe, t. c. p. 278.
Halcyon liuniii (& 11. davisoni, subsp.), Sharpe, t. c. p. 281, pi. viii.

Fig. 38.— Head of S. cMoris, |.

Coloration. Crown, nape, and sides of head to below the eye
bluish green ; a white streak above the lores occasionally extending
back above the eye ; ear-coverts black in some varieties, and wath
a black band round the nape, separated from the green of the
crown by an ill-defined white space (these black and white bands
are often entirely wanting) ; a broad white collar ; upper back
and scapulars dull bluish green to greenish blue ; lower back,
rump, and upper tail-coverts bright blue ; upper surface of wings
and tail deeper blue, sometimes with a greenish tinge; quills,
except on outer webs outside, black ; lower surface of tail the
same ; lower parts white, sometimes tinged with buff, especially
on the flanks.

Upper mandible, tip and edge of lower mandible greenish
black ; rest of lower mandible pinkish white ; irides deep brown ;
legs plumbeous {Davison).

Length 9-5 ; tail 2-75 ; wing 4 ; tarsus "6 ; bill from gape 2-3.

Distrihution. Though represented by a variety {H. ahyssinica) in
the Eed Sea, this Kingfisher has only been obtained in the Indian
Peninsula near Eatnagiri ; it is, however, common in the Sundar-
bans and throughout the eastern coast of the Bay of Bengal,
more abundantly to the southward, in the Andaman Islands (it
appears to be replaced in the Nicobars by H. occipitalis), and
throughout the Malay Archipelago to the Philippines and
Celebes.

In the British Museum Catalogue Dr. Sharpe has di^dded this
type into several species and subspecies, all the Indian forms of
which appear to me to be races varying considerably amongst
themselves and passing into each other. These races are : —

H. cMoris typical, from the Malay Archipelago, a greenish bird
with black ear- coverts and a well-marked black nuchal band.

H. armstrongi : Malay Peninsula, Sumatra, North Borneo,
Burmese coast, and Sundarbans. Ear-coverts green, and generally
no black nuchal band.

H. vidali, from Eatnagiri, like H. armstroncji but greener.

H. humii inhabits the Malay Peninsula with Southern Tenas-

SAUEOPATIS. 137

serim and Sumatra, and is described as a distinct species. It is a
very blue form, some birds having scarcely any green tinge on
the back even, but others show a complete passage to H. arm-
strongi, which inhabits the same countries. There is no nuchal
band.

//. davisoni, the Andaman race, is blue like H. humii, but has
black ear-coverts and a black nuchal band.

Ilahiis, c^'o. An inhabitant of sea-shores and of tidal waters,
li'i'ing chiefly on Crustacea, but partly on insects, centipedes, small
lizards, &c. Hume mentions obser\ing birds of this species
hammering shells that contained hermit-crabs against stones in
order to break the shells. They are noisy birds. The nest is
said to be sometimes made under a stone or bush, but Davison
found one in a deserted ants' nest tenanted by hornets (from the
description much like a termites' nest, a pile of hard clay against
a tree trunk) at Mergui. The eggs are said to measure about
1-4 by 1.

1048. Sauropatis occipitalis. BlytKs White-collared Kingfisher.

Todiramphus occipitalis, Blytk, J. A. S. B. xv, pp. 23, 51, 369 ;

Bcdl, J. A. S. B. xxxix, pt. 2, p. 31.
Todirhamphus collaris, var. BIyth, Cat. p. 48.
Halcyon occipitalis, Peheln, JS'ovara Eeise, Vogel, p. 46 ; BcdJ, S. F.

i, p. 58; Hume, S. F. ii, p. 171 ; id. Cat. no. 132 bis; Davison,

Ibis, 1885, p. 332 ; Oates in Humes N. S)- E. 2nd ed. iii, p. 19 ;

Sharpe, Cat. B. M. xvii, p. 265.

Coloration. Similar to that of S. chloris, but the crown is sur-
rounded by a buff rim formed by the lores, supercilia, and a band
round the nape ; outside this again is a black band, more or less
washed with green, especially behind the eyes, and commencing
from the eye, including eyes and ear-coverts, and passing round
the nape. The lower parts are buff, especially the flanks, wing-
lining, abdomen, and lower tail-coverts. As in S. chloris, some
specimens are greener than others. In young birds the feathers
of the white collar and breast have dark edges.

Upper manchble, and the tip and edge of the lower dark horny,
rest of lower mandible pinkish ; legs and feet pinkish (Hume).

Length about 10 ; tail 2'8 ; wing 4*25 ; tarsus '6 ; bill from
gape 1-7.

Distrihidion. The IS^icobar Islands, where this is a common bird.
Its nearest ally, U. julice, inhabits the New Hebrides.

Habits, 4'c. Very similar to those of H. chloris, but this bird is
said by Da\ason to be more often found in forest. It lives
chiefly on lizards and shell-fish. Davison found three nests on
Camorta, all in ants' nests of clay, 12 to 30 inches in diameter
and 4 to 20 feet from the ground, against trunks of trees. There
was a tunnel 6 inches long and 2 or 2| in diameter, leading to the
bird's nest, a chamber 7 inches across. A single egg, obtained
from a female that was shot, measured 1"16 by *98.

138 alcedinidjE.

Genus CARIDAGRUS, Cab., 1860.

Sexes differing in plumage, and one or both spotted. Bill
broader and tail shorter than in Sauropatis. Two or three
species are found in the Philippines, and one, a Malay form,
ranges into Southern Tenasserim.

1049. Caridagrus concretus. The Smnatran Kingfislier.
Dacelo concreta, Teinm. PI. Col. pi. 346 (1825).
Halcyon varia, Eyto7i, P. Z. S. 1839, p. 101.
Todirhamphus varius, Blyth, J. A. 8. B, xv, p. 11 ; id. Cat. p. 47.
Halcyon concreta, Shaiye, Mon. Ale. p. 219, pi. 83 ; Hmne Sf Dav.

S. F. vi, p. 7G ; Hume, Cat. no. 131 bis ; Gates, B. B. ii, p. 84 ;

Sharpe, Cat. B. M. xvii, p. 285.
Caridagrus concreta, Cab. ^ Heine, Mus. Hein. ii, p. 161.

Coloration. Male. Crown and nape deep green, paler, brighter,
and sometimes bluer on the nuchal border ; the lores and a band
from them, including the eye, passing above the ear-coverts
and round the nape black, forming a border to the green crown ;
a ferruginous supercihum extending to the lores in front and to
above the ear-coverts behind ; another ferruginous band from the
gape including the ear-coverts and extending to the broad collar
round the hind neck, which is of the same colour but deeper in
tint ; a broad blue cheek-stripe below the ferruginous band ; a
narrow black collar behind the ferruginous collar ; interscapular
region, scapulars, and upper surface of wings and tail deep blue ;
wing-coverts and scapulars with brighter edges ; middle of lower
back, of rump, and generally of upper tail-coverts bright pale
cobalt-blue ; sides of lower back and rump black ; quills black,
except basal parts of outer webs above, which are blue, and the
inner borders, which are buif ; lower surface of tail-feathers also
black ; lower parts ferruginous, whitish or white in middle of
abdomen and on lower tail-coverts.

Female. Back and wings above dull green, with pale buff spots
on the scapulars and wing-coverts. Young males have similar
pale spots, although except in being duller the plumage resembles
that of adults of the same sex. Nestlings of both sexes resemble
adults of the same sex.

Bill above black, lower mandible and edges of upper chrome-
yellow ; irides deep brown ; legs chrome-yellow (Davison).

Length about 9-6 ; tail 2-5 ; wing 4-5, tarsus -75 ; bill from
gape 2*4.

Distribution. Malay Peninsula with the extreme south of Ten-
asserim, Sumatra and Borneo.

Habits, Sfc. According to Davison this Kingfisher is not found
near water, but in thick forest, and lives on lizards and large
wood-lice.

Genus CARCINEUTES, Cab., 1860.
A small genus of only two species, one confined to Borneo,
while the other is found in Burma &c. Sexes very different in

CAECINEUTE3. 139

colour, the males barred with blue and black above, the females
with rufous and black. Feathers of nape slightly elongate. Bill
broad, comparatively short ; culmen straight, rounded. First
primary shorter than all the other primaries ; tail moderately long,
rounded at the end.

This approaches Dacelo, the " laughing jackass " of Australia, in
structure, more than any other Indian or Burmese KingH slier does.

1050. Carcineutes pulchellus. The Banded Kingjisher,

Dacelo pulcbella, Horsf. Trans. Linn, Soc. xiii, p. 175 (1821) ;

Blyfh, Cat. p. 46 ; Horsf. ^- M. Cat. p. 122.
Carcineutes pulchellus, Cab. ^ Heine, Mus. Hein. ii, p. 163 ; Sharpe,

Mon. Ale. p. 251, pi. 96; Blyth Sf Wald. Birds Btirm. ^. 70 ;

Hume ^ Dav. S. F. vi, pp. 79, 499 ; Hume, Cat. no. 132 ter ;

Bingham, S. F. viii, p. 193 ; ix, p. 154 ; Oates, B. B. ii, p. 86 ;

Sharjje, Cat. B. M. xvii, p. 198.
Carcineutes amabilis, Hume, S. F. i, p. 474 ; Sharpe, S. F. ii, p. 484 ;

Hume, ib. p. 485.

Fig. 39. — Head of C. jmchellus, |.

Coloration. Male. Broad frontal band, sides of head and neck,
and a more or less perfect collar round the hind neck chestnut ;
occiput and nape cobalt-blue, base of the feathers white, banded
with black near the blue tip ; remainder of upper plumage, including
the wings and tail, banded black and verditer-blue, the feathers
barred with white instead of blue except at the ends or exposed
portions ; quills black with white inner margins, the secondaries
with white spots forming imperfect bars ; lower parts white ; breast,
flanks, and under wing-coverts tinged with dull rufous ; tail-feathers
barred with white beneath.

Female. Upper parts and sides of head and neck transversely
banded with black and pale brownish rufous, more narrowly on the
head and neck ; primaries brown, unhanded ; lower parts white,
with black spots forming imperfect bars on the breast and flanks.

Bill vermilion ; irides purplish grey ; legs and feet dull pale green
(^Davison).

Length about 8'5 ; tail 2*75; wing 3-5 ; tarsus '5 ; bill from gape
1-8.

Distribution. Pegu (not Arakan) and Tenasserim, more common
in the latter ; the Malay Peninsula, Sumatra and Java.

Habits, Sfc. Generally found away from water in forest, feeding
on small lizards and various insects. Nidification unknown.

'^Mi df h

Fig. 40. — Dickoceros bicornis and nest.

Suborder BUCEBOTES.

Gaeca wanting ; oil-gland tufted. Sternum with two shallow
notches, one on each side in the posterior margin ; behind the
ill-developed manubrium is a perforation as in Meropidce. Both
carotids present as a rule, though there are exceptions. Spinal
feather-tract not defined on the neck, which has no lateral bare
tracts or apteria ; no aftershaft ; no down on bare parts of skin.
Deep plantar tendons as in Coracice.

Eamily BUCEROTIDtE.

An enormous bill, generally curved, and furnished in most
genera with a casque upon the basal portion of the culmen ; this
casque varies in shape, and is generally hollow or cellular, but the
anterior part is solid in liliinoplax. Primaries 11. Tail-feathers
10. The under wing-coverts as a rule do not cover the basal part
of the quills, and this may, as Mr. Ogilvie Grant has suggested,
account for the extraorcUnary noise made by some of the larger
forms when flying, the sound being produced by the air rushing
between the quills. The eyelids are furnished with strong eye-

BTJCEEOTID^. 141

lashes. The sexes are as a rule alike in plumage, but often differ
in size, in the form of the casque, and in the coloration of the soft
parts.

The Hornbills are a very well-marked family found nearly
throughout the Ethiopian and Oriental regions and occurring also
in the Papuan subregion. They are especially remarkable for
their niditication, the account of which was long regarded as a
fable, but has now been confirmed by numerous observers. A
hole in a tree is selected, and then the female, usually with the aid
of the male, encloses herself and shuts up the orifice with the
exception of a narrow vertical slit, by means of earth mixed with
the birds' own droppings. In some cases, as Aceros nepalensis and
Lophoceros birostris, the droppings alone are used, and the process
of enclosure is then performed by the female from within the nest.
She is thus enclosed before she begins to lay, and apparently
remains in the hole till the young, which are naked when they
leave the egg, are fledged, being fed all the time by the male
through the slit left in the enclosing partition, which just allows
room for the bird's bill to be pushed tlirough. The eggs are white
when laid, but generally become discoloured during incubation.

All Oriental forms belong to one subfamily. By Europeans in
India Hornbills are commonly, but incorrectly, called " Toucans."
The true Toucans {Rliamphastidce) are peculiar to South America,
and are allied to the Barbets.

Key to the Genera.

Casque, when present, cellular within ; bill

considerably curved ; hind neck and

middle of back feathered.

a . Casque large in adults, as high as upper

mandible or higher.

a" . Casque broad, concave above, ending

anteriorly in two points Dichoceros, p. 142.

b". Casque compressed, ending hi a single

point Anth:racoceeos,p.143.

b' . Casque moderate or small or wanting,
c'" Casque low, broad, rounded above,

composed of transverse ridges Ehytidoceros, p. 146.

d" . No casque ; oblique ridges at side of

base of upper mandible : size large . . Aceros, p. 149.
e". Casque small, compressed, its upper
edge curving down in front.
a^. Crest moderate, of ordinary feathei'S.

a*. Chin and throat naked ANORRHi>fus, p. 150.

b*. Chin and throat feathered Ptilol^mcs, p. 151.

¥. Crest very large, loose-textured . . Berenicornis, p. 153.
/". Casque smaU, compressed and pointed,
or wanting ; no ridges on side of bill :

size of birds small Lophoceros, p. 154.

, Casque solid in front; bill nearly straight ;
neck all round and middle of back naked ;
middle rectrices very long Ehinoplax, p. 158.

142 BTTCEEOTID^.

Genus DICHOCEROS, Gloger, 1842.

Si/e large. Bill very large, stout and much curved ; casque large
and broad, covering more than the basal half of the culmen, the
sides flat and vertical behind, the top overhanging in front, the
posterior edge broad, projecting over the head behind and
rounded, the upper surface flat behind, concave in front, ter-
minating anteriorly in two lateral points that are blunted in old
birds. No conspicuous crest ; feathers of head loose-textured ;
chin covered with feathers ; tail slightly rounded at end. Sexes
alike in plumage.

The casque is small and pointed in front in the young and
becomes gradually developed as in all Hornbdls.

A single species.

1051. Dichoceros bicornis. The Great Homhill.

Buceros bicornis, Linn. Syst. Nat. \, p. 153 (1766) ; Elliot, His, 1877,

p. 416.
Buceros cavatus, Shmo, Gen. Zool. viii, pt. 1, p. 18 (1812) ; Jerdon,
Madr. Jour. L. S. xi, p. 37; JBli/tk, J. A. S. B. xii, p. 986; xvi,
p. 993 ; id. Cat. p. 42 ; Tickell, J. A. S. B. xxiv, p. 279 ; Baker,
J. A. S. B. xxviii, p. 292.
Buceros homrai, Hodgs. J. A. S. B. i, p. 251 (1832) ; id. As. Res.

xviii, pt. 2, p. 169, pi.
Dichoceros cavatus, Gloger, Hand- u. Hilfsh. p. 335 ; Fairbank, S. F.
iv, p. 254 ; Huine S)- Bourdillon, ibid. p. 384 ; Hu7ne ^- Imjlis, S. F.
V, p. 20 : Hume ^ Dav. S. F. vi, p. 98 ; Gates, S. F. vii, p. 45 ;
Hume, Cut. no. 140 ; id. S. F. xi, p. 51 ; Bingham, S. F. viii,
p. 461 ; ix, p. 158 ; Vidal, S. F. ix, p. 50; Butler, ibid. p. 383 ;
Davison, S. F. x, p. 352 ; Macgregor, ibid. p. 436 ; Barnes, Birds
Bom. p. 104 ; Davidson, Jour. Bomb. N. H. Sac. vi, p. 333.
Homraius bicornis, ^o?iff/:>. Consp. Vol. Anisod. t^. 2; Horsf. <$- M.
Cat. ii, p. 583 ; Jerdon, B. I. i, p. 242 ; id. Ibis, 1872, p. 4 ; Godw.-
Anst. J. A. S. B. xliii, pt. 2, p. 154.
Buceros (Homraius) cavatus, Tickell, Ibis, 1864, p. 176.
Dichoceros bicornis, Blgtk 4" ^Vdld. Birds Burm. p. 68 ; Wardl-
Rams. Ibis, 1877, p. 454 ; Elliot, Mon. Buc. pi. vi ; Gates, B. B.
ii, p. 87 ; id. Ibis, 1888, p. 72 ; id. in Hones N. S^- E. 2nd ed. iii,
p. 68 ; Salvadori, Ann. Mus. Civ. Gen. (2) v, p. 571 ; vii, p. 381 ;
Ogilvie Grant, Cat. B. M. xvii, p. 355
Homrai,li. Nepal; Banrao,ll. Mussooiee ; Evgrong,lL,efcha; Garuda,
Can. ; Garud, Mabr. ; Malk Moraki, Mai. ; Hivang, Assamese ; Ouk-chin-
gyee, Burm.

Coloration. Head all round as far back as ends of ear-coverts
black ; neck all round fulvescent white ; back, rump, scapu-
lars, median and lesser wing-coverts, breast and under wing-
coverts black ; greater coverts and quills black, with the bases and
ends white ; lower abdomen, upper and under tail-coverts white ;
tail yellowish white, with a broad subterminal black band on
each feather.

Bill and casque yellow-, tinged with red at the tip and with
oranf^e in the middle. In the male the culmen in front of the
casque, a triangidar patch at each side of the anterior end of the

ANTHBACOCEROS. 143

casque, and the posterior portion of the casque are black, but not
in the female, in which, however, the posterior portion of the
casque is red. In both sexes the base of the mandible is black.
Irides in male blood-red, in female pearly white ; eyelids black ;
orbital skin dark fleshy pink ; legs and feet greenish plumbeous.

Length about 52 inches ; tail 15 ; wing 20; tarsus 2-9 ; bill from
gape to point in a straight line 10-5. Eemales rather less,
wincr 18 ; bill from gape 9. Tenasserim birds are decidedly smaller
than Himalayan. ^w <• i

Distribution. Along the Sahyadri or Western Crhats from the
neighboiu-hood of Bombay to Cape Comorin ; this bird is unknown
elsewhere in the Indian Peninsula, and is wanting in Ceylon, but
is found throughout the Himalayas as far west as Kumaun, up to
about 5000 feet ; and is generally distributed in Assam, Cachar,
Tipperah, and other countries between Assam and Burma,
throughout Burma, the Malay Peninsula, and Sumatra.

Habits, ^c. Like the other large Indian and Burmese Hornbills
this is a forest bird, and generally keeps to high trees ; it appears
never to descend to the ground. Wherever it is found, it makes
its presence known by the great noise produced by its wings in
flying, a sound that may be often heard a mile away. Its flight
is an alternation of a series of flappings of the wings and of sailing
along with the wings motionless, but the flapping predominates
and the flight is less undulating than in many Hornbills. Some-
times this bird is found in pairs, more often in flocks of from five
to twenty or more. The food consists mainly of fruit, but insects
and hzards are also eaten, as Tickell has shown ; the fruit or other
food, as with many other Hornbills, is tossed in the air and allowed
to fall into the bird's throat. The nidification was observed first
by Tickell, subsequently by Mr. E. Thompson, Major Bingham,
and others, and is typical. The eggs, usually two or three m
number, are laid about April in the Himalayas, but m February m
Tenasserim, Kanara, and Travancore, and measure about 2-62
by 1-88.

Genus ANTHRACOCEROS, Eeich., 1849.

Casque very large and high, sharp-edged and projecting in front,
broader and carried back above the crown behind, the upper
border curved and parallel with the commissure. Orbital skm
and that on the sides of the throat nude ; chin and middle of
throat feathered. Tad long and wedge-shaped at the end ; wings
rounded and short. Plumage of the two sexes similar, but casque
differently coloured.

A genus of five or six species, ranging throughout the greater part
of the Oriental region. Two species are Indian. Both have the
same habits. They are usually found in parties (families) of five or
six, and keep to high trees either in forest or m groves in well-
wooded country, especially near rivers ; they hve chiefly on fruit
and berries; and are very noisy, making a cackling sound in
chorus. Their flight, unlike that of the larger Hornbills generally^

144 BUCEEOTID^.

is comparatively silent but weak and undulating, and consists of
alternate flapping and sailing. The breeding-habits are the same
.as those of other Hornbills.

Key to the Species.

Outer tail-feathers entirely white A. coronatus, p. 144.

Outer tail-feathers only white at the ends A. albirostris, p. 145.

1052. Anthracoceros coronatus. Tlie Malabar Pied Hornbill.

Buceros coronatus, Bodd. Tahl. PI. Enl. p. 53 (1783).

Buceros pica, Scop. Del. Flor. et Faun. Insuh.'ix,-^. 87 (1786) ; Blyth,

J. A. S. B. xvi, p. 993 ; xviii, p. 802 ; xxi, p. 352 ; id. Cat. p. 43 ;

Tickell, Ibis, 1864, p. 179.
Buceros malabaricus, varr. /3 et -y, Lath. Lid. Orn. i, p. 143 (1790) ;

Tickell, J. A. S. B. ii, p. 579 ; Jerdo7i, Madr. Jour. L. S. xi,p. 38 ;

£li/th, J.A.S.B. xii, p. 993; Layard, A. M. N. H. (2) xiii,

p. 260.
Buceros A'iolaceus, Shaw, Gen. Zool. viii, p. 19 (1811); Blyth, J. A.

S. B. xu, p. 994.
Hydrocissa coronata, Horsf. ^ M. Cat. ii, p. 588 ; Jerdon, B. L. i,

p. 245 ; Holdsworth, P. Z. S. 1872, p. 425 ; Ball, S. F. ii, p. 387 ;

iii, p. 290 ; vn, p. 204 ; LIume, Cat. no. 141 ; Vidal, S. F. ix,

p. 51 ; Butler, S. F. ix, p. 383 ; Davison, S. F. x, p. 352 ; Barnes,

Birds Bom. p. 105.
Anthracoceros coronatus, Elliot, Mon. Buc. pi. xi ; Legge, Birds Ceyl.

p. 272 ; Parker, S. F. ix, p. 478 ; id. Lbis, 1886, p. 184 ; Oyilvie

Grant, Cat. B. M. xvii, p. 362.
Dhan Churi, H. ; Suliman Murghi, Dakhani ; Bagma dimes, Ben<r. ;
Kuchla-Kha, Uriya; Way era, Mahr. ; Kannari, Concan ; Peshta ganda,
Gond. ; Porowa Kcendetta, Atta Ktsndetta, Cing. ; Errana-chundoo-
kuravi, Tamil (Ceylon).

Coloration. "Whole head and neck and upper parts throughout,
including the wings above and the middle pair of tail-feathers,
black glossed with dark green ; lower breast, abdomen, lower tail-
coverts, and all the tail-feathers except the middle pair white, as
are broad tips of all quills except the first two primaries and the
tertiaries, the bases of the primaries and part of the edge of the
wing ; under wing-coverts and axillaries black.

The casque is large and compressed, not convex at the sides.
Bill and casque are waxen yellow, except the base of both man-
dibles and a large spot occupying about the anterior three fourths
of the upper portion of the casque, which are black. In the male,
but not in the female, the back of the casque is black. Irides
orange-red in males, brown in females ; naked skin blackish round
the eye in males, white in females ; bare skin on the throat flesh-
colom^ed ; legs and feet grey.

Length about 3 feet ; tail 12-5 inches ; wing 13-5 ; tarsus 2*5 ;
bill from gape 7*5. Females rather less. As usual Ceylon birds
are smaller than those of Orissa and Northern Malabar.

In the youug the basal half of the outer tail-feathers is black,

ANTHEACOCEEOS.

145

and there is at first no black on the casque, which is small. The
nestling, according to Parker, has a brownish-white bar on the
black feathers, except on the quills and rectrices.

Distribution. Ceylon, in the dry forests of the low country,
woods at the base of the Western Ghats in Malabar as far north
as Eatucigiri, and the forest-region of South-western Bengal,
Orissa, Bastar, and the Eastern Central Provinces ; not recorded
elsewhere.

HaUts, (Sfc. The nidification has not been recorded by an eye-
witness, but, as shown by Legge, Parker, and others, is undoubtedly
similar to that of other Hornbills. This bird breeds in Ceylon
from March to June and lays 2 to 4 eggs, measuring about 2 by 1-5.

1053. Anthracoceros albirostris. The Lido- Burmese Pied
Hornhill.

Buceros malabaricus, Gm. St/st. Nat. i, p. 359 (1788).

Buceros albirostris, Shmc Sr Nodd. Nat. Misc. xix, p. 819 (1790-

1818) ; Blyth, J. A. S. B. xii, p. 995 ; xvi, p. 994; xviii, p. 803 ;

id. Cat. p. 43; Tickell, Ibis, 1864, p. 179.
Buceros nigralbus, Hodys. Gray's Zool. Misc. p. 85 (1831), descr.

nulla.
Buceros leucogaster, Blyth, J. A. S. B. x, p. 922 (1841) ; xii, p. 17/.
Buceros affinis {Button), Blyth, J. A. S. B. xviii, p. 802 (1849) ; id.

Cat. p. 43.
Hydrocissa albirostris, Horsf. S,- M. Cat. ii, p. 589; Jerdon, B. 1. i,

p. 247; id. Ibis, 1872, p. 5; Ball, S. F. iii, p. 290; vii, p. 204;

Godw.-Aust. J. A. S. B. xlv, pt. 2, p. 69; Blyth Sf Wald. Birds

Burm. p. 68 ; Im/lis, S. F. v, v. 20 ; Binyham, S. F. v, p. 84 ; vni,

p. 402 ; ix, p. 158 ; Wardl.-Rams. Ibis, 1877, p. 455 ; Hume ^ Dav.

S. F. vi, p. 100; Anders. Yunnan Erped., Aves, p. 577; Oates,

S. F. vii, p. 46 ; Hume, Cat. no. 142 ; id. S. F. xi, p. 51.
Hydrocissa affinis, Jerdon, B. I i, p. 247 ; Blyth, Ibis, 1866, p. 349 ;

Hume, S. F. vi, p. 103 ; vii, p. 205 ; id. Cat. no. 143.
Hydrocissa coronata, apud Godio.-Aust. J. A. S. B. xxxix, pt. 2,

p. 266 ; xii, pt. 2, p. 143.
Anthracoceros malabaricus, Elliot, Mon. Buc. pi. xiu ; Oydoie Grant,

Cat. B. M. xvii, p. 365.
Anthracoceros albirostris, Oates, B. B. ii, p. 90 ; id. in Humes N. 3r E.

2nd ed. iii, p. 72 ; Sakadori, Ami. Mus. Civ. Gen. (2) iv, p. 588 ;

vii, p. 428.
The Benyal Pied Hornbill, The Dehra-Doon Hornhill, Jerdon ; Hay-
tuk tek-ee, Assamese ; Ouk-khyen, Burmese.

Coloration. Similar to that of A. coronatus, except that the four
outer pairs of tail-feathers are black for three-fourths of their
length and only white for 3 or 4 inches at the tip. The casque is
very different in shape, not compressed, but convex at the sides
and swollen. The black marks on the bill and casque are different :
in males there is a black baud running obliquely downwards and
backwards from the anterior point ; the back of the casque, the
base of both mandibles, and part of the commissure are black. In
females the back of the casque, the anterior half of the casque,

VOL. III. ^

146 buceeotidjE.

the ciilmen in front of the casque, and the whole commissure and
tips and base of both mandibles are black, and there is a red-brown
mark on the lower mandible in front of the black base. The iris
is reddish brown ; legs and feet plumbeous in both sexes.

Fig. 41.— Head of A. albirostris, J, i.

Distrihution. There are two varieties, distinguished by size alone:
the larger (A. affinis) inhabits the Lower Himalayas, as far west
as Delira Diin, the Rajmehal Hills, Midnapore, and parts of Chutia
ISTagpur, where it meets A. coronatus. It is also found in Assam
and the Ivhasi and Naga hills, and measures : length in males
about 35 inches, tail ll'o, wing 12-5, tarsus 2-3, bill from gape 6 ;
females being rather less. The smaller race, A. alhh-ostris, ranges
from Cachar and Manipur to vSonthern Tenasserim, Siam, and
Cochin China, and measures in males : length 28-e5, tail 10-5,
wing 10-75, tarsus 2, bill from gape 5 ; females somewhat
smaller. The difference in weight is considerable, fine males
weighing according to Hume 2*87 and 1-75 lbs. respectively.

I quite agree with all Indian ornithologists who reject the mis-
leading name malaharicus for this species.

Habits, 4'c. Generic. This species has been observed by Mr.
Inglis to catch and eat fish ; it is also, according to Wardlaw
Eamsay, verv fond of snakes. It breeds in Burma in March, and
lays usually 2 or 3 eggs, measuring about 1*9 by 1*35.

Genus RHYTIDOCEROS, Eeich., 1849.

Casque small, low, rounded, and apparently composed of imbricate
plates, covering the basal portion of the culmen, their upper edges
forming alternating furrows and ridges, which are curved forward
in the middle and backwards at the sides. These ridges are
wanting in the very young and increase in number to 7 or 8 with
age. Chin and throat naked, forming a pouch. Commissure
much worn in old birds, but not nearly so much broken away as
in Aceros. Feathers of crown and nape lengthened and loose-
textured, forming a crest.

Three species occur in the Eastern part of our area ; the only
other form known, R. plicatus, is Papuan.

^i

EHTTIDOCEROS. 147

Key to the Species.

a. Base of both mandibles with transverse

ridges in adults : wiug 17-20 R. undulatus, p. 147.

b. Base of both mandibles smooth

a'. Wing 14 to 17 R. subriificollis, p. 148.

b'. Wing 11 to 12 R. narcondami, p. 149.

1054. Rhytidoceros undulatus. The Malayan Wreathed
Hornbill.

Buceros undulatus, Shaw, Gen. Zool. viii, p. 26 (1811).

Buceros plicatus, apiid Miil/er ^- Schleg. Verhandel. pp. 24, 30 ; Blyth,

Cat. p. 319 ; nee Latham.
Buceros ruficollis, Bbjth, J, A. S. B. x, p. 922, partim ; xii, p. 176 ;

nee J^ietllot.
Buceros pucoran, Blyth, J. A. S. B. xii, p. 990.
Buceros pusaran, Blyth, J. A. S. B. xvi, p. 998; id. Cat. p. 45:

Tickell, Ibis, 1864, p. 180.
Rhyticeros plicatus, Horsf. 8f M. Cat. ii, p. 598; Godiv.-Aust. J. A.

S. B. xxxix, pt. 2, p. 96; Blyth, Ibis, 1860, p, 350; Jerdoti, Ibis,

1872, p. 5.
Aceros, sp. indet., Godiv.-Aust. I. c.
Rhyticeros obscurus, apiul Hume, N. ^ E. p. 11-5 : nee Buceros

obscurus, Gm.
Aceros plicatus, Blyth ^ Wald. Birds Burm. p. 69.
Rhytidoceros undulatus, Tiveeddale, Ibis, 1877, p. 292; Gates, B.B.

ii, p. 93 ; id. in Ihwies N. Sr E. 2nd ed. iii, p. 80 ; Elliot, Mon. Buc.

pi. 35 ; Ogihie Grant, Cat. B. M. xvii, p. 382.
Rhyticeros undulatus, Hume ^ Dav. S. F. vi, p. Ill ; Hume, Cat.

no. 146 bis ; id. 8. F. ix, p. 247 ; xi, p. 52 ; Binqham, S. F. viii,

pp. 194, 463 ; ix, p. 159.

Mahrdoh-la, Assamese.

Fig. 42. — Head of E. undulatus, ^.

Basal portion of both mandibles obliquely, somewhat irregularly
ridged at the side, in adults ; the ridges wanting in the yoimg and
increasing in number with age.

Coloration. Male. Forehead, middle of crown, and whole nape
deep rich chestnut, passing into black on the hind neck ; sides of
head, including lateral portions of crown, sides and front of neck
white, more or less tinged with buff ; tail entirely white ; remainder
of plumage black, glossed with dark green and purple.

Bill pale yellow, reddish towards the base, the hollows between
the ridges of the casque dark ; irides orange-red ; orbital skin dull

l2

148 BTJCEEOTID^.

red ; gular skin bright yellow, with a broad transverse interrupted
band black or dusky ; legs and feet blackish.

Length about 45 ; tail 13 ; wing 20 ; tarsus 2*75 : bill from
gape 9. Tenasserim birds are smaller than those from Assam :
wing 19 ; bill from gape 8.

Female. Black throughout except the tail, which is white ; gular
skin blue, with a dark transverse bar ; other soft parts as in male.
Length 38 ; tail 10 ; wing 17 ; tarsus 2-6 ; bill from gape 6-5,

Distribution. Assam, Khasi and Naga hills, Cachar, Manipur,
Arrakan, Toungngoo, Tenasserim, Malay Peninsula, Sumatra,
Java, Borneo.

Habits, Sfc. Very similar to those of the other large Hornbills.
This is a bird of powerful and steady, not undulating flight, and the
noise made by its wings when flying may be heard for a very great
distance. It lives almost entirely on fruit, and often travels long
distances for its food ; it not unfrequently associates in consider-
able flocks when flying. Its call-note is dissyllabic according to
Tickell. Like other fruit-eating birds, it wanders about and does
not always occupy the same forest tract. It breeds about March,
usually laying two eggs, that measure on an average 2-45 by 1*75.

1055. Rhytidoceros subruficollis. Blyth's Wreathed Hornhill. '

Buceros subruficollis, Blyth, J. A. S. B. xii, p. 177 ; id. Cat. p. 320.
Buceros plicatus, apud Blyth, J. A. S. B. xii, p. 991; xvi, p. 998;

id. Cat. p. 45 ; nee Forster.
Khyticeros subruficollis, Horsf. ^ M. Cat. ii, p. 600 ; Hume ^ Dav.

S. F. vi, p. 112; Wardl.-JRams. Ibis, 1877, p. 4o5 ; Hume, Cat.

no. 146 ter ; Bmyham, S. F. viii, p. 463 ; ix, p. 159.
Aceros subruficollis, Blyth ^ Wald. Birds Burm. p. 69 ; Oates, S. F.

vii, p. 46.
Rhytidoceros subruficollis, Tweeddale, Ibis, 1877, p. 295; Elliot,

Man. Buc. pi. 36 ; Oates, B. B. ii, p. 91 ; id. in Hume's N. Sf E.

2nd ed, iii, p. 81 ; Oyilvie Grant, Cat. B. M. xvii, p. 384.

This only differs from R. undulatus in smaller size, in having no
dark bar across the yellow or blue throat, and especially in the
sides of both mandibles being smooth, there being no trace of the
grooves that are found on the bills of adult R. undulatus.

Length of males about 34 ; tail 10 ; wing 16*5 ; tarsus 2-1 ;
bill from gape 7. Pemales are smaller : length about 30 ; wing
14-5 ; bill 6.

Distribution. Arrakan, Eastern Pegu, and Tenasserim, more
common from Moulmein to Tavoy than farther south ; also
Sumatra and Borneo, and probably the Malay Peninsula.

Habits, (^-c. Similar to those of the last species except that,
according to Bingham, this is less of a hill bird. It is generally
seen in large flocks, flying low. Oates found birds of this species
feeding on snails on the ground in an open plain. Tickell noticed
Hornbills of this or the last species bathing in a river in the evening.
The eggs have been taken in Pegu and Tenasserim at the end of

ACEEOS.

149

^

February and in March ; the nest-hole is usually on very high trees
and at a" great height from the ground, the number of eggs one to
three and the size about 2-29 by 1-61.

1056. Rhytidoceros narcondami. The Narcondam Homhill.

Rh}i;iceros narcondami, Hume, S. F. i, p. 411 (1873) ; ii, pp. 108,

176; id. Cat. no. 140 quat.
Ehytidoceros narcondami, Mliot, Mon. Buc. pi. 38 ; Ogilvie Grard,

Cat. B. M. xvii, p. 380.

Coloration. Male. Head and neck rufous ; throat a little paler ;
tail white ; remainder of plumage black glossed with dark green.

Female. Black throughout except the tail-feathers, which are
white.

In both sexes the bill and casque are pale horny yellow,
brownish red towards the base ; furrows on the casque blackish
brown ; irides pale red ; orbital skiu pale smalt-blue ; gular skin
white, tinged with greenish blue ; legs and feet brown.

Length about 26 ; tail 7 ; wing 12 ; tarsus 2-1 ; bill from gape
4*8. The female a little smaller.

Distribution. The island of Narcondam, east of North Andaman,
Bay of Bengal. Only a single pair are known ; these were obtained
by Mr. Hume when he visited Narcondam in 1873.

Genus ACEROS, Hodgson, 1844.

No true casque, but the basal portion of the upper mandible is
thickened and crossed at the sides by dark obhque grooves not
extending across the culmen, wanting in the young and increasing
in number with age ; cheeks, chin, and throat naked ; tail long
and graduated. Feathers of head and neck loose-textured, both
shafts and webs hair-like. Commissure of the bill greatly broken
away in adults. Coloration of sexes different,

A single species.

1057. Aceros nepalensis. The Rufous-necl-ed Homhill.

Buceros nepalensis, Hoclgs. As. Res. xviii, pt. 1, p. 178, 2 pis.

(1829) ; id. Gl. Sci. i, p. 249 ; Bhjth,J. A. S. B. xi, p. 970; xii,

p. 989 ; xvi, p. 997, pi. xliv, fig. 1 ; id. Cat. p. 45 ; Tickell, Ibis,

1864, p. 182.
Aceros nipalensis, Hodgs. in Grag^s Zool. Misc. p. 85 (1844) ; Sorsf.

4- M. Cat. ii, p. 601 ; Jerdon, B. I. i, p. 250 ; Godw.-Aust. J. A. S. B.

xxxix, pt. 2, p. 95 : Bli/th, Birds Burm. p. 69 ; Gammie, S. F. iii,

p. 209 ; Elliot, Mon. Buc. pi. 45 ; Hmne Sf Dav. S. F. vi, p. 110 ;

Hume, Cat. no. 146 ; Oates, B. B. ii, p. 98 ; id. in Humds N. Sf E.

2nd ed. iii, p. 77 ; Beddard, P. Z. S. 1889, p. 588 ; Salvadori, Ann.

Mus. Civ. Gen. (2) v, p. 572 ; vii, p. 382 ; Ogilvie Grant, Cat. B. M.

xvii, p. 380.
Aceros leucostigina, Salvadori, Ann. Mus. Civ. Gen. (2) v, pp. 516,

573 (1887).

150 BUCEBOTID^.

Coloration. Hale. Head, neck, and lower parts rufous, darkest
on the abdomen and flanks ; end of middle primaries and terminal
half of tail white ; remainder of plumage black, glossed with dark
green ; in the lower tail-coverts some chestnut is often mixed
with the black.

Female. Black, except the ends of the middle primaries and the
terminal third of the tail, which are white. The young resemble
dJidts of the same sex, except in wanting the ridges at the base of
the upper mandible, these increase in number with age up to
about seven.

Bill yellow, the grooves chestnut ; iris red ; naked skin round
eyes and at base of bill velvety light blue ; naked skin of throat
bright scarlet (Jerdon): feet dark brown {Hodgson).

Length 4 feet ; tail 18 inches ; wing 18'5 ; tarsus 2-5 ; bill
from gape 8-5. Females are less : length 42 inches ; tail 16 ;
wing 17'5.

Fig. 43. — Head of A. nepalensis, ^.

Distribution. The Himalayas of Nepal, Sikhim, and farther east,
from 2000 to about 6000 feet ; the hills south of Assam, Karennee,
and the Muleyit range in Tenasserim.

Habits, ^-c. Food, mode of flight, and nidification similar to
those of other large Hornbills. This bird has a monosyllabic
croak. A full account of the nidification has been given by
Mr. Gammie, who twice, both in April and in May, took a single
egg from the hollow in a tree in which the female was enclosed in
the usual manner. The number of eggs is said to be generally
two. One egg measures 2-25 by l"7o, the other 2-12 by 1-57.

Genus ANORRHINUS, Eeich., 1849.

Casque small, compressed, sharp-edged, with the upper ridge
parallel to the culmen, posteriorly curved downwards in front ;
both mandibles serrated on the commissure (serrations indistinct
in young individuals) and much worn down in aged birds. Chin
and throat naked. Crest well developed, its feathers of ordinary
texture. Tail slightly rounded, not white at the end. Sexes
alike.

A single species.

PTILOL^MUS. 151

1058. Anorrhinus galeritus. The Bushy -crested Homhill.

Buceros galeritus, Tem7n. PL Col. pi. 520 (1824) ; Blyth, Cat. p. 44.
Buceros carinatus, Blyth, J. A. S. B. xiv, p. 187 ; xvi, p. 99G.
Anorrhinus galeritus, Horsf. 8f M. Cat. ii, p. 594 ; Hume, S. F. iii,

p. 318 ; id. Cat. no. 145 quat. ; Hume ^- Dav. S. F. vi, pp. 109, 500 ;

Elliot, Mon. Buc. pi. 42 ; Oates, B. B. ii, p. 95 ; Oyilvie Grant, Cat.

B. M. xvii, p. 391.

Coloration. Head, neck, body above, and wings brownish black,
glossed with green, becoming browner on the breast and abdomen
and still paler round the vent and on the lower tail-coverts ; basal
two-thirds of tail-feathers brownish grey, terminal third black.

Bill black; irides lake-red; gular and orbital skin pale blue;
angle of gonys, base of throat, and eyelids mottled white and
black ; legs and feet black.

Young birds have the greater and median wing-coverts, secondary
quills, and scapulars with pale buff edges to the outer webs, and
the anterior part of the bill whitish yellow.

Length of male 33; tail 11; wing 14'5 ; tarsus 2 ; bill from
gape 5-75. Eemales are smaller, wing 13"3.

Distrihution. The Malay Peninsula, ranging into South Tenas-
serim as far north as Nwalabo mountain ; also Sumatra and
Borneo.

Habits., ^c. Davison describes this Hornbill as a shy bird,
keeping to high trees in forests, in parties of five or six, and never
descending to the ground. The note resembles that of Anthra-
coceros coronatus and is uttered at short intervals.

Genus PTILOLiEMUS, Grant, 1892.

Like Anorrhinus, but vrith the throat covered with feathers ; tail
more rounded ; feathers of crest, throat, and fore neck somewhat
lax in texture ; tail-feathers all tipped with white. There are two
species, both peculiar, so far as is known, to British territory east
of the Bay of Bengal.

Key to the Species.

Sides of head, chin and throat rufous P. tickelli, p. 151.

Sides of head, chin and throat white P. austeni, p. 153.

1059. Ptilolaemus tickelli. TicTcelTs Homhill.

Buceros tickelli, Blyth, J. A. S. B. xxiv, p. 266 (1855) ; xxviii,

p. 412 ; Tickell, J. A. S. B. xxiv, p. 285.
Toccus tickelli, Tickell, Ibis, 1864, p. 173, pi. iii.
Anorrhinus tickelli, Blyth, Birds Burm. p. 67 ; Elliot, Mon. Buc.

pi. 43 ; Hume, Cut. no. 144 bis ; Oates, B. B. ii, p. 96 ; id. in

Himieh N. i^- E. 2nd ed. iii, p. 76.
Ocyceros tickelli, Hume i^ Bav. S. F. vi, p. 103; Hume, S. F. vii,

p. 499 ; Binyham, S. F. viii, pp. 194, 460, 462 ; ix, p. 158.
Ptilolaemus tickelli, Oyilvie Grant, Cat. B. M. xvii, p. 392.

152 BLX'EEOTID^.

Coloration. Male. Plumes at each side of forehead dull rufous ;
crou'ii and nuchal crest dark greyish brown, the feathers with
whitish shaft-stripes and rufous edges ; back, rump, upper tail-
coverts, sca]julars, tertiaries, and wing-coverts dark brown, larger
secondary-coverts pale-edged, larger primary-coverts black, some
of them white-tipped ; primaries black, slightly glossed, tipped
\^hite and with a broad buff outer border for an inch or two near
the middle, but gradually nearer the tip in the later primaries ;
secondaries black, outer web greyish brown and the margin buff ;
middle tail-feathers dark brown, other tail-feathers black glossed
with green, all tipped white, the outer more broadly ; sides of neck
and lower parts bright rufous, feathers of fore-neck with pale
shaft-stripes ; thigh-coverts mixed with dusky ; wing-lining dark
brown, edge of wing in front of winglet buff.

Fig. 44.— Head of P. tickelli, ^.

Female. The plumes at the .sides of the forehead are concolorous
with the crown; there are no white tips to the primary-coverts,
and those to the quills are small or wanting ; lower parts duller
and darker than in the male, growing blackish on the chin and
dusky on the vent and lower tail-coverts.

Bill and casque yellowish white in the male, the tip of the
lower mandible blackish, and a saffron patch on each side of the
base ; bill and casque of female brownish black ; irides in both sexes
bright brown ; skin around orbits and at base of lower mandible
bluish white or blue ; legs and feet brownish black.

Length of male 30; tail 11"5; wing 13; tarsus 2; bill from
gape 5. The female is smaller : wing 12 ; bill 4-5.

Distribution, Only known from the Tenasserim hills east of
Moulmein.

Habits, <^'c. A shy restless bird, keeping to high forest, usually
in parties of 8 or 10, and flying with the almost noiseless flight of
Anthracoceros, alternately flapping and sailing. The nest has been
described by Major Bingham, who found from 3 to 5 eggs in each
of the usual nest-holes in February. The eggs are white originally,
but generally stained during incubation, and average 1*82 by 1"34
in dimensions. These birds, according to Major Bingham, are far
less wary in the breeding-season than at other times.

BEREyiCORXIS. 153

1060. PtilolaBmus austeni. Godivin- Austen's HornUll.

Anorhinus galeritus, apud Godiv.-Aust. J. A. S. B. xxxix, pt. '2,
p. 96; xli, pt. 2, p. 14.3 ; id. Ibis, 1878, p. 206; nee Temm.

Anorhinus austeni, Jerdon, Ibis, 1872, p. 6 ; Hume, S. F. iv, p. 493 ;
V, p. 117; vii, pp. 167, 49U : xi, p. 52; id. Cat. no. 144 ter ;
Hartert, J.f. Orn. 1889, p. 426.

Ptilolsenius austeni, Ogilvie Grant, Cat. B. M. xvii, p. 393.

Coloration. Male. Similar to that of P. ticJcelli, except that the
cheeks, throat, sides of neck, and fore-neck are white instead of
rufous, and the rest of the lower parts paler ; the secondaries and
middle tail-feathers too are not tipped \\hite. The upper parts
appear greyer, but this may be due to the state of the plumage.
Pemaie unknown.

Length about 31 ; tail 11*5 ; wing 12-5 ; tarsus 2 ; bill from
gape 4*7.

Distribution. The only specimen known for a long time was
obtained by Colonel Godwin-Austen at Asalu, in the North
Cachar hills ; subsequently three more were shot by Hartert in
the hill-forest south of the Dehing ; this species was also observed
by Hume in Manipm*.

Habits, d)-c. Very little known. Hartert came upon a flock of 8
or 10, and far from being as shy as P. tickelli, they allowed him to
fire six shots and kill four birds, one of which was left hanging in
a high tree, before they flew away. Their flight was rather noisy.
They had eaten a few insects (Mantides, Blattce, and locusts) besides
fruit.

Genus EERENICORNIS, Bonap., 1850.

The only species of this genus is distinguished by its very full
crest of loose-textured, hair-like feathers. This crest covers the
crown ; the feathers of the lores are similar and equally long, and
are directed upwards and forwards. Bill large, curved, com-
pressed ; casque as in Anorrhinus. but small. Tail long, while,
middle pair of feathers considerably exceeding the others.

1061. Berenicornis comatus. The Long-crested Homhill.

Buceros comatus, Raffl. Tr. Linn. Soc. xiii, p. 339 (1822) ; Hay,
Mad. Jour. L. S. xiii, pt. 2, p. 149 ; Blyth, J. A. S. B. xvi, p. 996,
pi. xliv, tig. 2 ; id. Cat. p. 44.

Berenicornis comatus, Bonap. Consp. Av. i, p. 91 ; Horsf. ^- M. Cat.
ii, p. 594; Hume, S. F. iii, p. 318; v, p. 20 note: id. Cat. no. 145
ter ; Hume Sf Dav. S. F. vi, pp. 106, 500 ; Kel/iam, Ibis, 1881, *
p. 385 ; Offilvie Grant, Cat. B. M. xvii, p. 423.

Anorrhinus comatus, Elliot, Mon. Buc. pi. 39 ; Oates, B. B. ii,
p. 94 ; Hartert, J.f. Orn. 1889, p. 369.

Coloration. Male. Head, neck, breast, and anterior part of
abdomen, tips of all quills except the first primary, the last
secondaries and the tertiaries, a patch inside carpal bend of wing,
and the whole tail white ; rest of plumage black.

] 54 BUCBEOTIDiE.

Female. Crown, chin, tips of wing-feathers, and whole tail
white, rest of plumage black, shafts of crest-feathers black. In
the young male most of the white feathers are black at the base,
and the tail is black with white tips.

Bill black, slightly mottled with green at the base of both
mandibles ; iris wax-yellow ; facial skin deep dull blue ; legs and
feet black. In younger birds the bill is chiefly dull horny green,
and the facial skin pale blue or pink.

Length of adult male about 40 ; tail 18 ; wing 15 ; tarsus 2*5 ;
bill from gape 7. Females a little less : wing 14, bill 5*75.

Distribution. Malayan Peninsula, Sumatra, and Borneo, ranging
into Southern Tenasserim as far as the base of Nwalabo, near
Tavoy.

Habits, Sfc. According to Davison this Hornbill is found in
forests about the lower trees and undergrowth ; it lives in small
parties, often feeding on the ground and eating lizards, &c., as
well as fruit ; the flight is uniform and almost noiseless ; the call
a peculiar cry (a mewing sound according to Hartert) repeated
several times in quick succession.

LOPHOCEROS, Hemp. & Ehr., 1828.

Size small. Casque either small, compressed, and terminating
anteriorly in a point or entirely wanting. Bill much curved,
carinate above. Tail graduated in all Indian species. Crest
moderate. Plumage of Indian birds chiefly grey.

I refer to this African type (which is identical with Toclcus
of Lesson) the three small Hornbills of India and Ceylon. By
Jerdou, Hume, and others they have been divided into two
genera ; by Ogilvie Grant they have been united and placed in a
genus apart from their African relatives on account of their more
wedge-shaped tail. This distinction I find does not hold good ;
neither Indian nor African forms are all alike in the relative
lengths of the rectrices. I do not place the Indian L. birostris in
a separate genus from the other two species, because the type of
Lophoceros, the Abyssinian L. nasutus, closely allied to the Indian
forms but without a casque, is only distinguished from the
S. African L. epirliinus by the presence in the latter of a small
casque, precisely like that of //. birostris, but smaller. It is clear
that in this group of small Hornbills the presence or absence of a
small casque is not a generic character.

The genus Loplioceros comprises 17 African species ; two occur
in the Peninsula of India and one in Ceylon. None extend
farther east.

Key to the Species.

a. A small casque, pointed in front L. birostris, p. 155.

b. No casque.

a'. Nostrils in an elongate groove L. (/riseus, p. 156.

b'. Nostrils round, not in a gi-oove L. yingalensis, p, 157.

LOPHOCEEOS.

155

1062. Lophoceros birostris, The Common Grey Hornhill.
Biiceros birostris, Scop. Del. Flor. et Fmm. Insub. ii, p. 87 (1786) ;

Bhjth, J.A.S. B. xvi, p. 995 ; id. Cat. p. 44.
Biiceros ginginianiis, Latham, Ind. Dm. i, p. 146 (1790) ; Blyth,

J. A. 8. B. xii, p. 996.
Tockus bicornis, Horsf. ^ M. Cat. ii, p. 597 (185&-8).
Meniceros bicornis, Jerdon, B. I. i, p. 248 ; Blyth, Ibis, 1866, p. 3oU ;

King, J. A. S. B. xxxvii, pt. 2, p. 214; Home, P. Z. S. 1869,

p. 241 ; C. 8r G. Marshall, S. F. iii, p. 331 ; Butler, S. F. ui,

p. 457 ; V, p. 218.
Ocyceros ginginianiis, Hume, N. Sf E. p. 113 ; Ball, S. F. ii,p. 388.
Ocyceros bicornis, Fairbank, S. F. v, p. 394.
Lophoceros birostris, Elliot, Mo7i. Buc. pi. 48. _

Ocyceros birostris, Davids, ^y Wend. S. F. vii, p. 78 ; Ball, ibid. p. 20o;

Hume, Cat. no. 144 ; Butler, S. F. ix, p. 384 ; Beid, S. F. x, p. 22 ;

Davids, ibid. p. 296 ; Barnes, Jour. Bom. N. H. Soc. i, p. 01 ; id.

Birds Bom. p. 100; Gates in Humes N. ^- E. 2nd ed. lu, p. 74;

Ogilvie Grant, Cat. B. M. xvii, p. 394.
Chakotra, Dhanmar, Dhand, Dhanel, Lamdar, H. ; Selagilli, H. at
Saugor; Puttial dhanes, Beng. ; Rundu-mukala-guiva, Tel.; Mumt-
mukala-kaka, Irawache, Tarn.

Fig. 45.— Head of L. birostris, \.

Coloration. Upper parts light brownish grey, broad supercilia
whitish; ear-coverts and cheeks blackish grey; primary and
secondary quills blackish brown, all except the first two primaries
tipped with white, the secondaries fringed with grey outside, the
middle primaries with part of the outer web white, halfway down
at first, but gradually nearer the tip on the inner feathers ; tail
above browner than back, each feather with a broad subtermmal
black or blackish-brown band glossed with green and a white tip ;
below from the chin to the breast grey, then passing into the white
of the abdomen. The white tips of the primaries are wanting m
immature birds. n u iu

Bill and casque blackish, the tips and outer edges ot both
mandibles (not of the casque) white ; irides red-brown ; feet dark
plumbeous. In young birds most of the bill is white.

Length of male about 24 ; wing 8-7; tail 11-5 ; tarsus 1-9 ; bill
from gape 4. Females are smaller, wing 7-9.

Distribution. From the base of the Himalayas throughout the
better wooded parts of the Peninsula of India, except on the
Malabar coast ; wanting in Sind, Western Rajputana (except at
Mount Abu), and the Punjab ; rare in the Gaugetic delta m Lower

156 BUCEEOTID.E.

Bengal, and not found farther east. This species does not occur
in Ceylon.

Habits, Sfc. This little Hornbill is generally seen in small
parties about open jungle, groves of trees, and gardens, but not in
thick forest. It lives chiefly on fruit, but occasionally eats insects
also. It has a harsh cry, and an undulating flight, with alternate
flappings and sailings. An excellent account of the nidification
at Mainpuri is given by Mr. Home, who watched the female bird
shut up, with her own droppings, the opening of the nest-hole in
a sissoo tree, except the slit through which she received food from
the male. The female never leaves the nest from before laying
her first egg till the young are about a week old. The eggs, 3 to 5
in number, are laid from April to June ; they are dull white in
colour and measure about 1-7 by 1'22.

1063. Lophoceros griseus. The Malabar Oreij Hornbill.

Buceros griseus, Lath. Ind. Orn. i, p. 147 (1790).

Tockus gingalensis, ajmd Jerdon, Mad. Jour. L. S. xi, p. 38 ; id. B. I.

i, p. 250; id. Ibis, 1872, p. 5; nee Buceros gingalensis, Shaw.
Buceros gingalensis, Baker, J. A. S. B. xxviii, p. 292 ; nee Shaiv.
Tockus griseus, Blyth, Ibis, 1866, p. 350 ; Fairbank, S. F. iv, p. 255 ;

V, p. 395 ; Hutne ^~ Board. S. F. iv, p. 387 ; Hume, Cat. no. 145 ;

Flliot, Mon. Buc. pi. 54 ; Vidal, S. F. ix, p. 51 ; Butler, ibid.

p. 384 ; Davison, S. F. x, p. 352 ; Macc/recjor, ibid. p. 436 ; Barnes,

Birds Bom. p. 106 ; Davidson, Jour. Bom. N. H. Soc. vi, p. 334.
Ocyceros griseus, Ogilvie Grant, Cat, B. M. xvii, p. 396.

The Jungle Grey Hornbill, Jerdon ; Kaldal-haki, Can.

Fig. 4G. —Head of L. griseus, J.

Coloration. Upper parts dark slaty grey, brownish on the back ;
nasal plumes and broad supercilia, extending far backwards,
brownish white ; ear-coverts blackish ; feathers of head, crest,
throat, and breast with wdiitish shaft-stripes ; quills black, pri-
maries, from 3rd to 7th, 8th, or sometimes 9th, with broad \Aliite
tips ; tail-feathers black glossed with green, the three outer pairs
white for some distance from the tips ; lower parts ashy grey,
paler on the chin and on the abdomen ; vent and lower tail-coverts
rufous.

Both mandibles are thickened at the side by a kind of incrusta-
tion towards the base ; nostrils elongate, in a groove, the posterior
portion of which is covered by membrane and overhung by a tuft
of feathers.

Bill horny yellow, with a brownish-red tinge except towards the
tip, dusky or black along the commissure ; irides red-brown ;
orbital skni black ; legs and feet greenish. In the female the bill

LOPHOCEBOS. 157

is paler and has black patches on the top of the culmen and at
each side of the lower mandible, near the base in both cases.
Young birds have dull white or yellow irides.

Length about 24 ; tail 9; wing 8*5 ; tarsus 1*75; bill from
gape 4*2o. Females measure rather less.

Distrihxition. Forests along the Malabar coast, as far north as
the neighbourhood of Bombay. This Hornbill does not ascend
the hills of Southern India above about 3000 feet. Tockus (jinya-
lensis is included in Dr. King's list of Groona birds, but doubtless
by mistake.

Habits, i|x. A forest species, shy, usually keeping in small flocks,
living on fruit, and having a peculiar call. The flight, according to
Bourdillon, is more rapid and easy than that of L. hirostris.
Mr. Baker found 3 eggs in a nest that he took ; Mr. Davidson, in
Kanara, 2 or 3, The latter found several nests in February and
the beginning of March. The breeding-habits are similar to those
of L. birostris.

1064. Lophoceros gingalensis. The Ceylonese Hornbill.

Buceros gingalensis, Skaiv, Gen. Zool. viii, p. .37 (1811); Bluth,
J. A. S. B. xii, p. 998 ; xvi, p. 996 ; id. Cat. p. 44 ; Layard,
A. M. N. H. (2) xiii, p. 260.

Tockus gingalensis, BlytJi, Ibis, 1866, p. 350; 1867, p. 296; Holds-
loorth, P. Z. S. 1872, p. 425; Le(ige, Ibis, 1874, p. 14; 1875,
p. 282 ; id. Birds Cei/l. p. 275. pi. xiv ; Elliot, Mon. Buc. pi. 55 ;
Hume, S. F. vii, p. 366 ; id. Cat. no. 145 bis.

Ocyceros gingalensis, Oyilvie Grant, Cat. B. M. xvii, p. 397.

Kcendetta, Cingalese.

Coloration. Crown and nape greyish brown, the feathers with
pale shaft-stripes ; an indistinct pale superciliary band extending
over the ear-coverts, which are blackish ; upper parts dark ashy
grey, browner on the hind neck ; wing-coverts dark-edged ; quilfs
black ; outer webs of secondaries grey above, the five middle
primaries, beginning with the third, with long white tips ; tail-
feathers blackish brown, the middle pair throughout, the others
with long white terminations, the three outer pairs become entirely
white in old birds ; lower parts white, greyish in the young ; vent
and lower tail-feathers pale rufous.

Nostril round, free from feathers. Bill in males yellowdsh
white, with a black patch on each side of the base of the upper
mandible, and another beneath the lower mandible ; in females the
bill is black, with a long white patch on the lower half of the
upper mandible ; irides red ; orbital skin black ; legs and feet
greenish plumbeous.

Length about 23 ; tail 8-75; wing 8; tarsus 1*75; bill from
gape 4-25. Females are smaller, the wing measuring 8-25, and
the bill 3-4.

Bistribtifion. Throughout Ceylon, in forest up to an elevation of
4000 feet.

Habits, 4'c. Similar to those of the last species, but the flight as

158 BUCEROTID^.

observed by Legge appears to resemble that of L. hirostris. This
Hornbill lives mainly on fruit, but occasionally eats lizards,
scorpions, and insects.

Genus RHINOPLAX, Gloger, 1842.

Bill moderate, pointed, nearly straight. Casque high, flat at
sides, rounded above, vertically truncated in front, all the front
part solid. Whole chin and throat, neck all round, and middle of
back naked. Middle tail-feathers in the male twice as long as the
others. Sexes alike in plumage.

This very remarkable and aberrant genus contains a single
species only.

1065. Rhinoplax vigil. The Helmeted Hornbill.

Buceros vigil, Forster, Ind. Zool. p. 40 (1781).

Buceros scutata, Bodd. Tahl. PI. Enl p. o5 (1783).

Buceros galeatus, Gm. Syst. Nat. i, p. 360 (1788) ; Blyth, J. A. S. B.

xvi, p. 998 ; id. Cat. p. 45.
Rhinoplax scutatus, Hor.<tf. ^ M. Cat. ii, p. 581 ; Hume, S. F. iii,

p. 318.
Rhinoplax vidl, Elliot, Mon. Buc. pi. 10 ; Hiime ^ Dav. S. F. \\,

p. 115 ; Hume, Cat. no. 146 quint ; Gates, B. B. ii, p. 89 ; Hartert,

J.f. Orn. 1889, p. 366 ; Offihie Grant, Cat. B. M. xvii, p. 427.

■ Coloration. Forehead, crown, and nape black ; feathers behind
eves and ear-coverts chestnut ; breast, sides of back, and outside of
wings black ; scapulars, tertiaries, and rump browner ; abdomen,
upper and lower tail-coverts, and under wing-coverts white ; base
and tips of all quills, except the first primary and the last second-
aries, white ; long middle pair of tail-feathers whity brown, the
others white, all with a broad subterminal black band.

Anterior half of bill and front of casque yellow, rest of casque
and posterior half of bill crimson ; iris dark red ; bare skin of neck
and back, legs and feet, and skin everywhere beneath feathers
dull deep red in male, in the female the naked back and hind-neck
are reddish lilac, sides and front of neck greenish blue, veined with
sky-blue {Hartert).

Length of male about 5 feet ; tail 34 inches ; wing 19 ; tarsus 3 ;
bill from gape 6-5. Female: length about 50 ; tail 26 ; wing 16-5;
bill 5-75.

Distribution. Malay Peninsula, extending into the extreme south
of Tenasserim ; also Sumatra and Borneo.

Habits, 4-c. A very shy bird, inhabiting high forest generally in
pairs, not descending to the ground, and hving on fruit. The
flight is weak. The note is very peculiar and powerful ; it begins
with a series of whoops, uttered at intervals that grow gradually
less till, after ten or a dozen quick repetitions, the call ends in a
harsh cackhng laugh. This account is taken from Davison, whose
observations are confirmed by Hartert. Nothing is known of the
nidification, nor of the use to which the bird puts its very singular,
straight, pointed bill and heavy casque.

upupiD^, 159

Suborder UPUPJE.

Caeca wanting ; oil-gland tufted ; sternum with two deep posterior
notches, one on each side ; raanuhriura not forked, flat and broad,
a perforation behind it ; spinal feather-tract well-defined on the
neck, and forked on the upper back. Only the left carotid is
present. Deep plantar tendons free from each other, as far as the
subdivision of the flexor perforaas digitorum, but a vinculum from
the flexor longus hallucis leads to that slip from the other tendon
which supplies the third digit or middle toe, the uniou of the
vinculum with the slip taking place below, not above the root of
the toe *.

The Hoopoes have been shown by numerous observers, especially
Marie (Ibis, 1873, pp. 181-211), to be closely allied both in struc-
ture and nesting-habits to the Hornbills. There are two families,
Upupidce and Irrisoridce, the latter confined to Africa.

Family UPUPIDiE.

Genus UPUPA.

This is the only genus in the family. Bill slender, long, curved
from the base ; tongue very short. A well-marked and long
coronal crest, the hinder feathers longest. Tarsus short, scutellate
behind as in Alaudidce. Wing rounded, with 10 primaries. Tail
moderate, of 10 rectrices.

The Hoopoes feed on the ground on grubs and insects and use as
nests holes in trees, banks, or walls, frequently lining the hole
with a little grass, feathers, or hair. The female sits very closely
and is fed by the male. The nest-hole and the young smell very
offensively, apparently owing to the dirty condition of the nest.
The eggs are pale bluish or greenish white.

The genus ranges throughout the temperate and tropical parts
of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Two species are Indian.

Key to the Species.
White between buff and black of crest-feathers .... U. epops, p. 159.
No white on crest U. indica, p. 161.

1066. TJpupa epops. The Ewojiean Hoopoe.

Upupa epops, Linn. Syd. Nat. i, p. 183 (1766) ; Bli/th, Cat. p. 46;
Horsf. ^ M.Cat. ii, p. 723 ; Jerdon, B. I. i, p. 390 ; Scott, Ibis, 1866'
p. 22-2 ; 1867, p. 135 ; Stoliczka, J. A. S. B. xxxvii, pt. 2, p. 26 ;
Beavan, Ibis, 1870, p. 310 ; Godn\-Aust. J. A. S. B. xxxix, pt. 2,
p. 99 ; xlv, pt. 2, p. 71 ; Jerdon, Ibis, 1872, p. 21 ; Blanf. J. A. S. B.

* This discovery has just been made by Gadow, and is announced in
' Newlon's Dictionary of Birds ' (pt. iii, 1891), pp. 617, 618, fig. V*. Hitherto it
had been supposed that the jjlantar tendons of Hoopoes were free, as in Passeres.

160 TJPUPID^.

xli, pt. 2, p. 44 ; Brooks, ibid. p. 75 ; Hume Sf Henders. Lah. to
York. p. 182 ; Hiane, S. F. i, p. 174; xi, p. 87 : id. Cat. no. 254 ;
Butler, S. F. iii, p. 462; v, p. 228; ix, p. 391 ; Ball, S. F. vii,
p. 209; Vidal, S. F. ix, p. 57 ; Davison. S. F. x, p. 304 ; C. H. T.
Marshall, Ibis, 1884, p. 412 ; Barnes, Birds Bom. p. 141 ; Oates in
Hume's N. Sr E. 2nd ed. ii, p. 337 ; Saloin, Cat. B. M. xvi, p. 4.

Hud-hud, Pers. & H. ; Sutdr, Mahr. ; Sukdudu, Chamba ; Katkuto,
Sind. ^ > ,

Fig. 47.— Head of V. epops, |.

CoIoratio7i. Crest rufous-fawn, all the feathers with black tips,
and on the longer feathers the rufous passes into pure white
before the black end is reached ; sides of head, chin, neck all
round, and breast varying from sandy to pale rufous with a vinous
tinge ; upper back and wings along forearm light brown, then a
black band, followed by a buffy- white one, crosses the wings and
back, with a second black and a second white band on the wings,
but the lower back is black or brown ; the rump white ; upper tail-
coverts black, and tail black with a white bar across it halfway
down ; quills black, the first primary generally, but not always,
with a white spot on the inner web, the other primaries with a
white band across them, imperfect on the innermost ; secondaries
with white bases and four white bands ; tertiaries brown, edged with
buff and with an oblique buff band near the shaft on the inner
web ; abdomen white, with dark brown streaks in front.

Bill dark brown, pinkish at the base ; irides red-brown ; legs
and feet plumbeous.

Length about 12 ; tail 4 ; wing 5-8 ; tarsus 9 ; bill from gape
straight to point 2'5. Females rather less : wing 5"5 ; bill 2-3,

Distribution. In summer throughout the Southern Palsearctic
region, including the Himalayas, migrating in winter to Africa,
Arabia, and India as far south as Katnagiri, the Deccan, Chutia
Nagpur, Sylhet, and Manipur. Henderson found this bird common
on the desert plateau of Ladak.

Habits, &fc. Hoopoes are chiefly found in open country, cultivated

UPUPA. 161

or waste, and keep generally on the ground, though they perch
occasionally. They are sprightly and familiar birds, and may be
seen running about and searching for insects and especially grubs,
which they extract with their long bills from some distance
beneath the surface. The crest is usually kept folded back, but is
raised quickly if the bird is excited or alarmed. The note is a
double or treble sound like hoop. This species breeds in the
Western Himalayas in April and May, and lays from 4 to 7 pale
bluish- white eggs, measuring about 1-M by "T.

1067. ITpupa indica. The Indian Hoopoe.

Upupa senegaleiisis, cqnid Blyth, J. A. S. B. xiv, p. 189 ; id. Cat.

p. 46 ; nee Siv.
Upupa indica, Bcich. Handb. spec. Orn. p. 320, pi. dxcvi, fig. 4037

(1851-4) ; Anders. Yunnan Exped., Aves, p. 578 ; Salvin, Cat.

B. M. xvi, p. 10.
Upupa ceylonensis, Beich. t. c. pi. dcxv, fig-. 4036 ; Blt/th, Ibis, 1866,.

p. 366 ; Hmne, Cat. no. 255 ; Barnes, Birds Bom. p. 142 ; Oatesin

Hume's N. 8f E. ii, p. 334.
Upupa nigripennis, Goidd MS., Horsf. Sf M. Cat. ii, p. 725 (1858) ;

Jerdon, B. I. i, p. 392; id. Ibis, 1872, p. 22; MacMastei;.

J.A.S. B. xl, pt. 2, p. 209 ; Stoliczka, J.A.S. B. xli, pt. 2, p. 235 ;

Butler, S. F. iii, p. 462 ; Lec/ge, Birds Ceijl. p. 278.
Upupa longirostris, Jerdon, B. I. i, p. 393 ; Hume, S. F. iii, p. 89 ;

xi, p. 88 ; id. Cat. no. 254 bis ; Blijth ^- Wald. Birds Burm. p. 69 :

Hume ^ Dav. S. F. vi, p. 202 ; Oates, B. B. ii, p. 62 ; id. in

Hume's N. 8f E. 2nd ed. ii, p. 338.

Hudhud, H. ; Sutdr, Mahr. ; Kondeh pitta, Kukudeu ijmva, Tel.
Chaval kuriivi. Tarn., Ceylon ; Toun-bee-sote, Bumi.

Coloration similar to that of U. epops, except that there is no-
white on the crest, that the head, neck, back, and breast are more
rufous, and that this colour extends farther over the abdomen :
thighs often rufous.

Typical Burmese specimens have the wing in males 5-6, bill
from gape 2-6 ; in females 5-3 and 2-4 : but Indian and especially
Ceylonese specimens run smaller — wing in Ceylonese males 5-3,
in females 4-85 ; bill 2-4 and 2-1, Skins from India, especially
from the North, very often show a tinge of white on the crest ;
these specimens Salvin regards as intermediate between U. indica
and U. epops, hybrids in fact, and I agree with him. To separate
the Indian and Burmese forms, and to make three species on such
very small distinctions as exist, is neither necessary nor reasonable.

Distribution. With the exception of Sind and the Western
Punjab, throughout India, Ceylon, Burma, Siam, Cambodia, and
the countries eastward to Hainan. A resident species.

Habits, Sj-G. Similar to those of U. epops. The breeding-season
in various parts of India is from February till May, earlier to the
southward ; in Ceylon, according to Legge, November to April.
The eggs are 4 to 7 in number, sometimes, it is said, more, pale
bluish or greenish-white in colour, and measure about "97 by 'QQ.

VOL. III. M

Order VI. MACROCHIRES.

The families of Swifts, Nightjars, and Frogmouths, here classed
together, afford an even more difficult case than that of the
Amsodactyli, their differences being of so well-marked and
important a character as to make it very doubtful whether they
can belong to the same order. The hallux in all is connected
with the fiexor 'perforans cliffitonim, and the arrangement of the
deep flexors (except in Macropteryx) is Galline, as in Coracias and
Buceros; the oil-gland is nude or wanting, the manubrium sterni
very small or absent, the coracoids separate, and the number of
both primary-quills and tail-feathers 10. The spinal feather-
tract is well-defined on the neck, but forked on the upper back.
All, too, have a short bill and an excessively broad gape, and all
live on insects captured in the air.

The three families Cypselidcv, Caprimulgido!, and Podargidce
form suborders.

The Trocliilida', or Humming-birds of America, are generally
placed in this order, but their relations to the Swifts are
disputed by a few naturalists.

Another American family, Steatornithidce, appears probably
allied to the Podargidce.

The other suborders are all Indian, and may be thus dis-
tinguished : —

a. Palate segithognathous ; no basipterygoid pro-
cesses ; no caeca ; a nude oil-gland Cypseli.

h. Palate schizognathous ; basipterygoid pro-
cesses present ; caeca functional ; a nude
oil-gland Caprimulgi.

c. Palate desmognathous ; no basipterygoid pro-
cesses ; caeca large ; no oil-gland ; a powder-
down patch on each side of the rump .... Podaegi.

Suborder CYPSELI.

No caeca. Oil-gland present, but nude. Palate segithognathous ;
no basipterygoid processes. No median wing-coverts. Sternum
without posterior incisions, the keel high. No semitendinosus
muscle. A large aftershaft.

CYPSELID^. 163

Nidification varies greatly, but all the Swifts lay elongate white
eggs, and in all the saliva is used to cement together the materials
of the nest and to attach it to some surface. In some forms of
Collocalia the nest consists entirely of inspissated saliva. The
salivary glands are greatly developed, especially at the breeding-
season. The young are hatched naked.

A single family.

Family CYPSELID^.

Bill small, hooked at the end, gape very broad. Wings long,
the primaries greatly developed, curved ; secondaries very short.
Humerus very short. Feet weak, the first or hind toe is more or
less reversible, and all four toes are often directed forward in
some of the genera.

This family is cosmopolitan, except that it does not occur in
Arctic or Antarctic regions. There are three subfamilies, thus
distinguished : —

a. Tarsus feathered ; three anterior toes (2,
3, 4), each with three phalanges ; wings

extending far beyond tail Cypselince, p. 163.

h. Tarsus generally naked ; second toe
with 3, third with 4, fourth with 5
phalanges as usual.
a'. Tarsus equal to middle toe or longer ;

wings extending far beyond tail . . Cha4urince, p. 172.
b'. Tarsus shorter than "middle toe ; [p. 179.

wings not extending beyond tail . . Macropterygince,

Subfamily CYPSELIN^.

This includes the typical Swifts, in which the hind toe is
completely reversible, and the third and fourth toes have only
three phalanges each. Sexes always alike. Two genera are
Indian.

Key to the Genera.

a. Toes all directed forward as a rule Cypseltjs, p. 164.

b. Toes in pairs; inner and hind toes directed

inwards, the other two outwards Tachobnis, p. 170.

m2

164 CYPSELIDiE.

Genus CYPSELUS *, Illiger, 1811.

The true Swifts have the toes as a rule all directed £or\^•ard, but
the first or hinder toe is reversible. They are birds of powerful
flight, though inferior in this respect to Chcdura. All make nests-
attached to rocks or buildings, or very rarely to trees.

Fig. 48.— Left foot of C. apus, \.

Key to the Sj)ecies.

a. No white on rump.

a'. Abdomen white C. melba, p. 164.

v. Abdomen brown.

a". General colour blackish brown C. apus, p. 165.

b". General colour greyish brown C. murinus, p. 166.

b. A white band across rump,
c'. Tail deeply forked.

c". Larger : wing 7 C. ])adjicus, p. 167.

d" . Smaller : wing 6 C. leuconyx, p. 167.

d'. Tail even or nearly even.

e". Lower tail-coverts greyish brown, paler

than abdomen C. affinis, p. 1G8.

/". Lower tail-coverts blackish brown like

abdomen C, subfurcatus, p. 169,

1068. Cypselus melba. Tlie Alpine Swift.

Hirundo melha, Linn. Si/st. Nat. i, p. 345 (1766).

Hirundo alpina, Scop. Ann. i, p. 166 (1769).

Cypselus melba, Illiger, Prodr. p. 230; Blyth, Cat. p. 85; Layard,
A. M. N. H. (2) xii, p. 167 ; Adams, P. Z. 8. 1859, p. 175 :
Jerdon, B. I. i,p. 175; id. Ibis, 1871, p. 354 ; Stoliczlca, J. A. S. B.
xxxvii, pt. 2, p. 18 ; McMaster, J. A. S. B. xl, pt. 2, p. 208 ;
Butler, S. F. iii, p. 453 ; v, p. 218 ; ix, p. 379 ; Blanford, S. K
y, p. 245 ; Davidson &• Wenden, 8. F. vii, p. 77 ; Ball, ibid.
p. 202 ; Hume, Cat. no. 98 ; Legge, Birds Ceyl. p. 317 ; Vidal,
8. F. ix, p. 43 ; Davidson, 8. F. x, p. 293 ; id. Jour. Bom, N. H.

* The name Micropus, Meyer and Wolf, 1810, which has one year's priority
over Cypselus has oeen substituted for the latter by some writers, and especially
by Mr. Hartert in the British Museum Catalogue, vol. xvi. But the existence
of a Linua^an genus Micropus in Botany affords a fair reason for adhering to
the well-known name of Cypselus for typical Swifts. The generic name
Micropus (1837) used by Sharpe and Gates {ante, Vol. I. p. 294) for a genus of
Bulbuls, is of later date than Meyer and Wolf's genus, and must be changed to
Microtarsus, Eyton (1839).

CYPSELUS.

165

Soc. i, p. 177 ; Littledale, ibid. pp. 31, 196 ; Davison, S. F. x, p. 347 ;
Barnes, Birds Bom. p. 85 ; id. Journ. Bom. N. II. Soc. lU, p. 47 ;
iv, p. 4 ; St. John, Ibis, 1889, p. lo5 ; Oates in Hume's N. Sf E.
2nd ed. iii. p. 20.
Cvpselus alpiuus, Jerdon, Mad. Jour. L. S. xi, p. 235 (1840). _

Micropus melba, Boie, Isis, 1844, p. 165 ; Hartert, Cat. B. M. xvi,
p. 438.
Coloration. Upper parts, sides of head and neck, a broad band
across the upper breast, and the lower tail-coverts brown, varying
slightly in depth of tint, nearly uniform in old birds, the_ feathers
darker near the end, and with whitish edges in young individuals ;
chin, throat, lower breast, and abdomen white, feathers sometimes
black-shafted; under wing-coverts always with whitish edges,
especially near the bend of the wing.

Bill black ; iris dark brown ; legs and feet blackish purple.
Length about 8-5 ; tail 3 ; wing 8-5, tarsus 0-6. The tail is
deeply forked, the outer feathers being about -75 inch longer than
the middle pair.

Distributioa. Europe as far north as the Alps, Northern Africa,
South-western Asia, India, and Ceylon. This bird is resident,
and breeds in the Himalayas, on rocky precipices amongst the
Western Ghats, and doubtless in other hilly parts of the
Peninsula. The nests and eggs have been taken by Miss Cockburn
on the Nilgiris near Kotagiri, and nests have been ^seen by
Mr. Davidson near Nasik, and by Mr. Littledale in Kashmir;
whilst the hills of Ceylon (Ler/ge), "the chffs of Gersoppa (Jerdon),
8atara (Davidson), and Gawilgurh in Berar (3fc3faster) have been
shown to be probable breeding-places. The Alpine Swift may be
seen at times throughout the peninsula, and it has been recorded
from Darjiling and Assam, but not farther east.

Habits, 4-c. This fine Swift is probably, wdth the exception of the
larger species of Chcetura, the swiftest and most powerful flyer
amongst birds. It roosts and breeds in companies on rocky cHffs,
but fli'es enormous distances each day, generally in scattered flocks,
and may be found hawking insects in the air hundreds of miles
from its roosting-place. It has a shrill cry, often uttered during
flight. The nests have walls about an inch thick naade of feathers,
dry grass, &c., firmly cemented together by the saliva of the birds ;
they are 4 or 5 inches in diameter, not lined. Several nests are
often clustered together. The eggs are laid in Europe about May
and June ; they are white, elongate, 3 or 4 in number, and measure
about 1-2 by "75.

1069. Cypselus apus. The European Sivift.

Hirundo apus, iwrn. St/st. Nat. i, p. 344 (1766). „ ,, ^ .

Cypselus apus, III. Prodr. p. 230 ; Bli/th, Cat. p. 85 ; Horsf. ^ M.Cat.

i, p. 109 ; Adams, P. Z. S. 1859, p. 175 ; Jerdon, B. I. i, p. 177 ;

id. Ibis, 1871, p. 354 ; Stuliczka, J. A. 8. B. xxxvn, pt. 2, p. 18 ;

Hume, S. F. i, p. 165 ; id. Cat. no. 99 ; Barnes, Birds Bom.

p. 85 ; St. John, Ibis, 1889, p. 156.

166 CTPSBLID^.

Cypselus acuticauda, Blyth MS., Jerdon, B. I. iii, p. 870 (1864) ;

Bhjth, Ibis, 1865, p. 45; 1866, p. 339; Jerdon, Ibis, 1871, p. 355;

Hume, S. F. ii, p. 156 ; id. Cat. no. 99 bis.
Cypelus pekinensis, Sivinhoe, P. Z. 8. 1870, p. 435; 1871, p. 345;

Brooks, S. F. iii, p. 231 ; Scully, S. F. iv, p. 132 ; x, p. 100 ; id.

Ibis, 1881, p. 428 ; Hume, S. F. vii, p. 365 ; viii, p. 411 ; id. Cat.

no. 99 quat. ; Shmye, Yarkand Miss., Aves, p. 112.
Micropus apus (& M. pekinensis, subsp.), Hartert, Cat. B. M. xvi,

pp. 442-444.

Coloration. Except the chin and middle of the throat, which
are whitish, generally with indications of dark shaft-stripes, the
whole plumage is dark brown, or blackish brown, with a greenish
gloss. In younger specimens the forehead is pale, and the
feathers, especially on the crown, wing-coverts (above all the
under coverts near the edge of the wing), and abdomen, have pale
edges.

Bill blackish brown ; iris dark brown ; feet purplish
brown.

Length about 7 ; tail 3 ; wing 7 ; tarsus 0*5 ; the outer exceed
the middle rectrices by about an inch or rather more.

Distribution. A migratory bird, breeding throughout the greater
part of the Palsearctic region, and spending the winter chiefly in
Africa. It is found in Kashmir and the Western Himalayas
generally, and in Afghanistan. A single specimen was shot at
Port Blair, Andaman Islands, on July 30th, 1873, but the species
has not been observed in the Eastern Himalayas, Assam, or
Burma.

Habits, Sfc. This is a bird of powerful flight, though inferior to
the Alpine Swift. It is almost constantly on the wing in the
daytime hawking insects, generally high in the air, or playing
about in flocks, and uttering its harsh screaming call. It roosts
and breeds on high buildings and cliffs, much as C. affinis does,
but it has not been observed to breed within Indian limits, where
it is, as a rule, only a winter visitor.

1070. Cypselus murinus. The Pale Brown Swift.

Cypselus murinus, Brehm, Vollstiind. Vogelfang, p. 46 (1855).
Cypselus pallidus, Shelley, Ibis, 1870, p. 445 ; 1871, p. 47 ; Hume,

S. F. vii, p. 365 ; viii, p. 411 ; id. Cat. no. 99 ter.
Micropus mm-inus (subsp. o/M. apus), Hartert, Cat. M. xvi, p. 446.

Similar to G. apus, but distinctly paler ; greyish brown (mouse-
brown) almost throughout ; the white throat more extended and
passing more into the brown on its edges. On the abdomen the
dark subterminal bands and whitish edges of the feathers appear
persistent at all ages. Wing 6-5 to 6*7, or a little shorter than
in C. apus.

Distribution. The desert region ; Northern Africa (and occa-
sionally Southern Europe) and South-western Asia. This species

OTPSELUS. 167

is probably non-migratoiy, and has been obtained in Sind and
Baluchistan.

1071. Cypselus pacificus. The Larfje White-rumped Swift.

Hirundo pacifica, Latham, Ind. Orn. Suppl. p. Iviii (1801).
Cypselus vittatus, Janl. ^- Selbij, III. Orn. iv. pi. 39 (1840) ; Blyt\

Cat. p. 85 ; Horsf. Sf M. Cat. i, p. 385 ; Blyth, Ibis, 1863, p. 369.
Cypselus pacificus, Bb/th, J. A. 8. B. xiv, pp. 212, 548 ; Jerdon,

Ibis, 1871, p. 355; Hume ^ Oates, S. F. iii, p. 43; Blyth Sf Wald.

Birds Burm. p. 84 ; Hume (^ Dav. 8. F. vi, p. 48 ; Hume, Cat.

no. 101 bis ; id. 8. F. xi, p. 31 ; Hume 8f Inylis, 8. F. ix, p. 246;

Oates, B. B. ii, p. 1 ; 8alvadori, Ann. Mus. Civ. Gen. (2) v,.

p. 573.
Micropus pacificus, Hartert, Cat. B. M. xvi, p. 448.

Coloration. Upper plumage blackish brown ; the feathers in
young birds with pale edges, that grow indistinct in older speci-
mens ; a broad white band, the feathers black-shafted, across the
rump ; chin and throat whitish, the shafts dark ; rest of lower
parts brown, each feather with a suhterminal blackish band and a
whitish edge at all ages.

Bill black ; iris deep brown ; feet purpUsh black (Davison).

Length 7 ; tail 3-2 ; wing 7 ; tarsus 0-45 ; the outer exceed the
middle tail-feathers by about 1-25 inch.

Distribution. Assam, Cachar, and Manipur, throughout the
Bm^mese countries and the regions to the eastward, from Japan
to Australia.

Habits, Sfc. But little known ; it is even uncertain whether this
species is resident in Burma. It was seeu by Oates, generally
in large flocks, flying at a considerable height, during the greater
part of the year, but he doubts if it breeds in the country. It is
known to breed on rocks and houses in islands off the coast of
China.

1072. Cypselus leuconyx. Bhjili's White-rumped Swift.

Cypselus leuconyx, Bh/th, J. A. 8. B. xiv, p. 212 ; id. Cat. p. 85 f
Jerdon, Mad. Jour. L. 8. xiii, pt. 2, p. 144 (1844) ; Horsf. ^ M.
Cat. i, p. 109; Jerdon, B. I. i, p. 179 ; id. Ibis, 1871, p. 354 ; 8dater,
P. Z. 8. 1865, p. 600 ; Blyth, Ibis, 1865, p. 45 ; 1866, p. 340 ;
1870, p. 161 ; Tytler, Ibis] 1868, p. 195 ; Hume, 8. F. iii, p. 44
id. Cat. no. 101 ; Butler, 8. F. ix, p. 379 ; Barnes, Birds Bom
p. 86.

Cypselus pacificus, aintd 8toliczka, J. A. 8. B. xxxvii, pt. 2, p. 18 ;
nee Lath.

Micropus leuconyx, Hartert, Cat. B. M. xvi, p. 450.

The White-claived 8wift, Jerdon.

Coloration similar to that of C. pacificus, but dimensions much
less, so as fully to justify separation. The feet (not the claws)
are pale coloured, almost albescent in some specimens (Hume).

168 CTPSELID^.

Bill blackish ; iris dark brown ; feet flesh-colour {Delme Rad-
cliffe).

Length about 6 inches ; tail 2*5 ; wing 6 ; tarsus '4 ; the outer
exceed the middle rectrices by about '75 inch.

Distribution. Common in the North-western Himalayas at mode-
rate elevations " between the outer ranges and the higher and
more interior hills " {Jerdon) ; probably resident. Jerdon states
that he obtained a specimen in the western part of the Deccan
and several in Malabar, where it frequents rocky hills, but no one
appears to have observed specimens in the Peninsula since Jerdon
wi'ote.

1073. Cypselus afiBnis. The Common Indian Sivift.

Cypselus afRnis, Grai/ i^- Ilardw. III. hid. Zool. i,pl. 35, fig. 2 (1832) ;
Jerdon, Mad. Jour. L. S. xi, p. 235 ; Tickell, J. A. 8. li. xvii,
p. 303 ; Blyth, Cat. p. 86 ; Horsf. ^ M. Cat. i, p. 106 ; Adams,
P. Z. S. 1859, p. 175 ; Jerdon, B. I. i, p. 177 ; Blyth, Ibis, 1866,
p. 339 ; mime, S. F. i, p. 166 ; Aitken, 8. F. iii, p. 214 ; Ball, S. F.
vii, p. 202 ; Hume, Cat. no. 100 ; Scully, S. F. viii, p. 234 ; Legge,
Birds Ceyl. p. 319 ; Vidal, 8. F. ix, p. 44 ; Butler, ibid. p. 379 ;
Davison, 8. F. x, p. 347 ; Oates, B. B. ii, p. 3 (note) ; id. in
Hume's N. S( E. 2nd ed. iii, p. 21 ; Barnes, Birds Bom. p. 86 ;
Littledale, Jour. Bom. N. H. 8oc. i, p. 31 ; Barnes, ibid. p. 43;
iv, p. 4; Newnham, op. cit. ii. p. 55 ; 8t. John, Ibis, 1889, p. 156.

Cypselus nepalensis, Hodgs. J. A. 8. B. \, p. 780 (1836).

Cypselus montanus, Jerdon, Mad. Jour. L. 8. xiii, pt. 2, p. 144
(1844).

Cypselus abessynicus, 8treubel, Isis, 1848, p. 354; Blanf. J. A.
8. B. xxxviii, pt. 2, p. 169 ; Hmne, Ibis, 1870, p. 405.

Micropus affinis, Hartert, Cat. B. M. xvi, p. 453.

Ahabil, Babila,Ii.; Pdkoli, Kahr ; Hawa bil-bil, Sahavunimr ; Batasi,
Pahari, Sikhim ; Wahcelaniya, Lceniya, Cing.

Fig. 49.— Head of C. affinis, \.

Coloration. Very dark brown, almost black, with a distinct gloss
above and below ; crown and nape paler, forehead and lower tail-
coverts paler still; a black spot before the eye and slight pale
supercilia ; quills glossed with green ; a broad white band across
the rump, and the chin and throat white, the feathers more or less
dark-shafted.

Bill black ; iris deep brown ; feet vinous brown (Le(/ge).

Length about 5-5 ; tail 1-75; wing 5-25; tarsus -4. The tail
is nearly square, the outer scarcely longer than the middle
rectrices.

CIPSELUS. 169

Distribution. Resident throughout India and Ceylon, but locally
distributed ; very common in places, wanting in others, ascending
the Himalayas to about 6000 feet. To the westward this Swift is
found in Kashmir, the Punjab, and Sind, tln*oughout South-
western Asia, including Persia and Palestine, and in the greater
part of Africa ; but it is replaced east of the Bay of Bengal by the
next species.

Habits, Sfc. The Indian Swift is highly gregarious, and is com-
monly seen about old buildings, being perhaps most common in
large towns ; it is also found haunting rocky cliffs, and it breeds
on chffs, houses, temples, tombs, &c. Its flight is very like that
of C. cqnis, but rather less powerful ; its call is similar, but even
shriller. Its nests vary in shape and materials ; they consist of
feathers, grass, or straw, with an occasional admixture of wool,
twine, or rags, cemented together with saliva. Generally several
nests are found clustered together. In some cases this Swift is
said to lay its eggs in deserted Swallows' nests, and this doubtless
accounts for some observers having supposed that it used mud in
building. The eggs are from 2 to 4, generally 3 in number,
white, not glossy as a rule, long ovals, measuring on an average
•87 by -57. The breeding-season lasts from February to August,
both months included, two broods being produced in the year.
The same nest is used by a pair several times.

. * 1074. Cypselus subfurcatus. The Malay House-Swift.

Cypselus subfurcatus, Blyth, J. A. S. B. xviii, p. 807 (1849) ; id.
Cat. p. 85 ; Sclater, P. Z. S. I860, p. 602 ; Bhjth, Ibis, 1865, p. 41,
note; 1870, p. 161 ; Godw.-Aust. J. A. S. B. xliii, pt. 2, p. 153 ;
Hume, S. F. ii, p. 524 ; xi, p. 30 ; id. Cat. no. 100 bis ; Hume Sf
Inglis, S. F. \, p. 17 ; Hume S)- Dav. S. F. vi, p. 47 ; Oates, B. B.
ii, p. 2.

Micropus subfurcatus, Hartert, Cat. B. M. xvi, p. 450.

Very similar to C. affinis, but darker, being blackish brown
except on the white rump, chin, and throat ; head, and especially the
under tail-coverts, blackish brown like the other parts, only the
forehead paler; tail longer and distinctly subfurcate or eraar-
ginate.

Bill black ; irides dark brown ; legs and feet varying from deep
purplish black to flesh-colour.

Length about 5*75 inches ; tail 2 ; wing 5*5 ; tarsus '4 ; outer
rectrices '3 longer than middle pair.

Distribution. Cachar and the Khasi hills, not rare ; Manipur,
and here and there throughout Burma, but very few localities are
recorded ; China as far north as Amoy, Cochin China, doubtless
Siam, the Malay Peninsula, Sumatra, and Java. This Swift
abounds in Penang. A single specimen from Chanda was found by
Hume in the Calcutta collection : this was doubtless a straggler.

Habits, ^c. similar to those of C. affinis. Godwin- Austen found
this Swift breeding on cliffs near Shillong in June.

170 CYPSELID^.

Genus TACHORNIS, Gosse, 1847.

The toes are arranged in pairs, the 3rd and 4th toes outwards,
the 1st and 2nd (inner and hind) inwards. Size small.

The nests are alwaj's attached to the leaves of palms (where
palm-leaves are employed in thatching huts, the Swifts make their
nests on the thatch).

This genus is found throughout the Oriental and Ethiopian
regions and in the West Indies. Two species are found \vithiu
our limits.

Fig. 50. — Left foot of T. batassiensis,

Key to the Species.

Dull earthy brown above T. batassietisis, p. 170.

Glossy blackish brown above T. infumatus, p. 171.

1075. Tachornis batassiensis. The Palm-Sivift.

Cypselus balasiensis (batassiensis), Gray, in Griffiths An. Kingd.,

Aves, u, p. GO (1829) ; Bli/th, Cat. p. 86.
Cypselus batassiensis, Horsf. ^ M. Cat. i, p. 108 ; Jerdon, B. I. \,

p. 180; Bhjth, Ibis, 1866, p. 340; Holdsworth, P. Z. S. 1872,

p. 420; Davidson t^ Wenden, S. F. vii, p. 77; Davidson, ibid.

p. 172; Ball, ibid. p. 202; Criijps, ibid. p. 257; Hume, Cat.

no. 102 ; Vidal, S. F. ix, p. 44 ; Butler, ibid. p. 379 ; Legge, Birds

Ceyl. p. 322 ; Hume, S. F. x, p. 348 ; Barnes, Birds Bom. p. 87 ;

Cripps, S. F. xi, p. 31 ; Oates in Hume's N. ^ E. 2nd ed. iii, p. 25 ;

St. John, Ibis, 1889, p. 156.
Cypselus palmarum, Gray in Hardto. III. hid. Zool. i, pi. 35, fig. 1

(1832) ; Jerdon, Mad. Jour. L. S. xi, p. 236 ; Hume, N. 8f E. i,

p. 87 ; Butler, S. F. iii, p. 454.
Tachornis batassiensis, Hartert, Cat. B. M. xvi, p. 466.

Tdri ababil, Tal-chatta, Patta deuli, H. ; Batassia, Chamchiki, Beng. ;
Ambattan Katthi, Tamul ; Wcehcelaniya, Cing.

Coloration. Dull brown above, head slightly darker, wing and
tail-feathers much darker ; beneath pale greyish brown, chin and
throat palest.

Bill black ; irides reddish ; feet dusky brown.

Length about 5-25 : tail 2-6 ; wing 4*5 ; tarsus '4 ; tail deeply
forked, outer rectrices about 1*2 inches longer than middle pair.

Distribution. Peninsula of India and Ceylon wherever there are
fan-palms {Borassus flahelliformis). Wanting in the Punjab and
Sind, and found in Eajputana only at Mount Abu. Common
throughout Bengal and as far east as Dibrugarh in Assam ( CH2:>ps),

TACHOENIS 171

but replaced iu the Assam hills and in Burma by the next
species.

Habits, Sfc. This Swift keeps to the neighbourhood of the palms
on which it builds its nest. The flight is, as Jerdon says, rather
irregular and not very speedy. The nest is attached to the under-
side of a palm-leaf, usually to one of those that hang bent down-
wards, and consists of a small pocket-hke cup, inserted in one of
the furrows of the leaf, and made of vegetable down or small
feathers glued together by the salivary secretion of the bird.
Usually the nest is on the fan-palm (tar or toddy tree), but
occasionally on the betel-nut (Areca). This bird breeds probably
twice in the year, about March and July in Northern India, but
from October to April in Ceylon. The eggs are generally three in
number, wliite, long^ ovals, measuring on an average "71 by '46.

1076. Tachornis infumatus. The Eastern Palm-Sivift.

Cypselus infumatus, Sclater, P. Z. S. 1865, p. 602 ; Hume, Ibis,
1870, p. 533 ; Jerdon, Ibis, 1871, p. 355, pi. x ; Walden in BlytKs
Birds Burm. p. 85 ; Hume ^ Oates, S. F. iii, p. 44 ; Hume ^•
Dav. S. F. vi, pp. 48, 497 ; Hume, Cat. no. 102 bis ; id. S. F. xi,
p. 32 ; Bingha77i, S. F. viii, p. 192 ; ix, p. 149 ; Oates, B. B. ii,
p. 4 ; id. in Hume's N. ^ E. 2nd ed. iii, p. 27.

Cypselus tectorum, Jerdon, P. A. S. B. 1870, p. 61 ; Godw.-Aust.
J.A.S. B. xxxix, pt. 2, p. 94.

Cypselus minusculus, Salvadori, Ami. 3Ius. Civ. Gen. (2) vii,
p. 383.

Tachornis infumata, Hartert, Cat. B. M. xvi, p. 467.

Pyan-hlwa, Burmese (applied to all Swifts).

Coloration similar to that of T. batassiensis, but much darker,
upper parts blackish brown, wing and tail-feathers black above
with a slight purplish gloss ; lower plumage smoky brown, throat
slightly paler.

Bill and feet black ; iris brown (Oates).

Length about 5*2 inches ; tail 2-2 ; wing 4*6 ; tarsus -35 ; tail
less forked than in T. batassiensis ; the outer tail-feathers exceed
the middle pair by "9 inch.

Distnbution. Hill-tracts south of the Assam valley and through-
out the Burmese countries, to Southern China, the Malay Penin-
sula, Borneo, and Java.

Habits, ^c. precisely similar to those of T. batassiensis, this bird
haunting palms (Borassus and Areca) and breeding iu them. In
the Naga and Garo hills, where the people thatch their huts with
two layers of palm-leaves, this Swift attaches its nest to the upper
side of the leaves in the lower layer.

172 CYPSELID^.

Subfamily CHiETURIN^.

This subfamily contains the Spiny-tailed Swifts, and the
Swiftlets which make the edible nests.

Key to the Genera,

Shafts of rectrices very stiff, the ends projecting

beyond the webs Ch^tura, p. 172.

Shafts of rectrices pliable, no projecting points. Collocalia, p. 175.

Genus CH^TUEA, Stephens, 1825.

The principal character of this genus is that all the tail-feathers
have rigid shafts, the ends of which project for some distance
beyond the web. The tarsi are naked as in other members of the
subfamily ; feet as in Cypsehis ; claws stout and much curved.
Wings very long and pointed, first quill longest.

This genus of Swifts occurs throughout Eastern Asia, the Oriental
and Australian regions, Tropical Africa, and nearly the whole of
America. Four species occur within Indian limits.

Key to the Sjjecies.

a. Large, wing 7 to 8 inches.

a'. Chin and throat white C. nudipes, p. 172.

b'. Chin and throat brown C indica, p. 173.

b. Small, wing 4 to 5 inches.

c'. Rnmp and abdomen white; upper tail-coverts

black C. sylvatica, p. 174.

d' . linmp and upper tail-coverts light grey ; [p. 175.

abdomen black C. leiicopyyialis,

'1077. Chsetura nudipes. The White-necked Sinne-tail.

Chajtura nudipes, Hodys. J. A. 8. B. v, p. 779 (1836) ; Deless. Voy.

de rinde, Hist. Nat. p. 25, pi. 9 ; Hume, Cat. no. 97 ; id. S. F.

ix, pp. 230, 286 ; Hartert, Cat. B. M. xvi, p. 474.
Acauthylis fusca, apud Blyth, Cat. p. 84 ; nee Stephens.
Acanthylis nudipes, Horsf. S)- M. Cat. i, p. 111.
Acanthylis caudacuta, a2)ud Jerdon, B. I. i, p. 173 ; id. Ibis, 1871,

p. 354 ; nee Lath.
Acanthylis ciris, apud Blyth, Ibis, 1866, p. 339; nee Pallas.
Ch^tvu-a gigantea, apud Hume 8f Cripps, S. F. xi, p. 30 ; nee Temm.

SilU-any tiphi-timbo, Lepcha.

Coloration. A small black preocular spot ; crown and sides of
head, nape, hind-neck, upper surface of wings and tail, sides of
rump and upper tail- coverts blackish brown, glossed with metallic
green ; inner webs of tertiaries partly or wholly white ; back
brown, whitish in the middle ; chin, throat, a band down the

CRMTURA .

173

hinder part of the flanks, area behind vent, and lower tail-coverts
Avhite ; breast and abdomen brown, with a slightly reddish tinge.

Bill black ; irides deep brown ; legs and feet purplish livid
(Jerdo^i).

Length about 8 ; tail 2 ; wing 8 ; tarsus -6. Tail nearly square,
the spinous tips projectiug -15 inch.

Distribution. Throughout the Himalayas from Hazara to Upper
Assam. This bird has been shot at Dibrugarh.

Fig. 51.— Tail of C. nudipes, \.

Habits, ^c. This and other large Spine-tails are, I believe,
absolutely the swiftest of living birds. Their flio-ht far excels'
that of the Alpine Swift, and I doubt if any Falcon can approach
them in speed. They are generally seen in scattered flocks that
play about for a time, and disappear at a pace that must be seen
to be appreciated. They roost and breed, so far as is known
amongst rocks.

C. caudamta, which ranges from Siberia to Australia, is closely
allied, but is distinguished by its white forehead.

1078. ChaBtura indica. The Brown-necked Spine-tail.

Acanthylis caudacuta, apud Blyth, Cat. p. 84 ; Laynrd, A.M.N H.

(2) xii, p. 170; Qodw.-Aust. J. A. S. B. xxxix, pt. 2, p. 94; nee

Latham.
Acanthylis gigantea, Horsf. 8f M. Cat. i, p. .387 ; Jerdoti, B. I. i

p. 172 ; Beavan, Ibis, 1867, p. 317 ; Bli/th ^- Wald. Birds Burnt.

p. 84 ; Wardlaw-Ramsay, Ibis, 1877, p. 459 ; nee Temm.
Chsetura indica, Hume, S. F. i, p. 471 (1873) ; ii, p. 1-55 ; iv, pp. 223,

286; xi, p. 30; id. Cat. no. 96; Hume 8f Inglis, S. F. v, p. 17;

Hume ^' Dav. S. F. vi, p. 46 ; Hume ^ Bourdillon, S. F. vii'

p. 34 ; Davison, S. F. x, p. 347 ; Hartert, Cat. B. M. xvi, p. 475. '
Hirundinapus giganteus, apud Walden, Ibis, 1874, p. 131 ; n'ec

Temm.
Chsetura gigantea, ajnid Jerdon, Mad. Jour. L. S. xiii, pt. 2, p. 144 •

Blyth, J. A. S. B. xi, p. 885; Hume, S. F. iv, pp. 223, 287; id'.

Cat. no, 96 bis ; Hume 8r Dav. S. F. vi, p. 46 ; Legge, Birds Ceyj.

p. 314.
Hirundinapus giganteus & H. indicus. Gates, B. B. ii, p. .5,

Coloration. A large velvety black spot before the eye, with
a white spot in front extending to the nostril ; crown and

174 CTPSELID^.

sides of head, hind-neck, sides of rump and upper tail-coverts,
upper surface of wings and tail blackish brown, with dark metallic
green gloss ; back pale brown, darker on the edges ; lower parts
rich brown ; chin and throat much paler, but the feathers of the
latter with dark tips ; a longitudinal band on the flanks behind
the thighs ; area behind vent and lower tail-coverts white.

Bill black ; irides dark brown ; legs and feet pale fleshy pink
(^Baher).

Length about 9 ; tail 2*6 ; wing 8 ; tarsus 'GS, The tail is
slightly wedge-shaped, and the shafts of the feathers are very
strong and project nearly half an inch.

Distribution. Ceylon and Southern India ; not observed north of
lat. 12° in the Peninsula ; commonest about the Nilgiris and other
ranges ; also Cachar, the Assam hills, and Manipur, through-
out the Burmese countries, apparently passing farther south into
the allied C. gic/antea, which is only distinguished by wanting the
white loi'al spots. The specimen from Tenasserim referred by
Hume to C. gigantea, though not belonging to that race, may be
an intermediate form. The two are merely races.

Habits, (^-c. Similar to those of C. nudipes, these Swifts being
equal, or possibly even superior, in speed. So Avonderful is their
flight that Mr. H. R. P. Carter remarked that a flock of Alpine
Swifts, passing over immediately after some of the present species,
"seemed to fly like Owls after the arrow-like speed of the Spine-
tails." He found that those he shot had fed on beetles, green
bugs, sand-wasps, and grasshoppers. The nests were discovered
by Mr. E. C. S. Baker in the North Cachar hills, on April 26th,
and described by him in the 'Asian.' They were large, shallow,
oval cups attached to the walls of (artificial) limestone caves, and
composed of moss and mud. They measured about 6 by 3| inches
outside, 4^ by 3 inside, and nearly an inch deep. Only fragments
of eggs, which were white and devoid of gloss, were found, but in
one nest were three young birds.

1079. Chsetura sylvatica. The White-rumped Spine-tail.

Acanthylis sylvatica, TicJiell, J. A. S. B. xv, p. 284 (1846) ; Jerdon,

B. I. i, p. 170; id. Ibis, 1871, p. 354; Blanford, J. A. S. B.

xxxviii, pt. 2, p. 169 ; Hume, J. A. S. B. xxxix, pt. 2, p. 114 ;

Ball, S. F. iii, p. 289 ; Walden, Ibis, 1876, p. 356.
Chsetm-a sylvatica, Sclater, P. Z. S. 1865, p. 614 ; Ball, S. F. vii,

p. 202 ; Hume, Cat. no. 95 ; Davison, S. F. x, p. 346 ; Ha7iert,

Cat. B. M. xvi, p. 489.

Coloration. Upper parts black or blackish brown, with slight
green gloss ; a broad white band across the rump ; chin, throat,
and breast greyish brown ; abdomen and lower tail-coverts white,
the two colours passing into each other ; wing beneath blackish
and glossy. In young birds the white feathers of the rump,
abdomen, and lower tail-coverts have black shafts.

Bill, legs, and feet black ; iris dark brown.

COLLOCALIA.

175

Length about 4-25 ; tail 1-5 ; wing 4-2 ; tarsus -4. The under
tail-coverts extend nearly to the end of the tail.

Distribution. The forest country from Bengal to the Godavari
and west as far as the Wyne Gunga, also Heoni in the Central
Provinces, Garhwal and Sikhim in the Himalayas, the Wynaad,
and Coonoor in the Nilgiris. Widely spread but local.

Habits, 4'c. A forest species, generally seen in smaller or larger
parties hawking insects amongst high trees, especially near streams,
or frequenting open cultivated spaces in the jungle. The flight is
not, I should say, much more rapid than that of the Palm-Swift.
Nidification unknown.

1080. Clijetura leucopygialis. The Grey-rumped Black Spine-tail.
Acanthylis leucopygialis, Blyth, J. A. S. B. xviii, p. 809 (1849) ; id.

Cat. p. 85 ; id. Ibis, 1866, p. 339.
Acaiithylis coracinus, Miill. Bonap. Consp. Av. p. 64 (1850).
Cbfetura coracina, Sclater, P. Z. 8. 1865, p. 614; Hu7ne, S. F. ni,

p. 318 ; Hume cV Dav. S. F. vi, p. 45.
Cbgetura leucopygialis, Hume, S. F. vii, p. 518 ; id. Cat. no. 95 bis ;

Harterf, Cat. B. M. x\'i, p. 490.
Khaphidura leucopygialis, Oates, B. B. ii, p. 6.

Coloration. Black, with a bluish gloss throughout, above and
below, except the rump and long upper tail-coverts, which are
greyish white (pearly grey) with narrow black shafts.

Bill black ; irides dark brown ; legs and feet livid pui'ple.

Length about 4-75 ; tail 1-7 ; wing 4-9 ; tarsus -4. The upper
tail-coverts extend to the end of the webs of the tail-feathers ; the
naked shafts of the latter project -3 to -4 inch.

Distribution. The extreme south of Tenasserim, ranging through-
out the Malay Peninsula to Sumatra and Borneo.

Habits, Sfc. very similar to those of C. sylvatica, but by Davison's
account this appears to be a swifter bird.

Genus COLLOCALIA, Gray, 1840.

Peet small ; the hind toe directed backwards normally and only
partially reversible. Tail-feathers of ordinary form and the shafts
not rigid. Second quill longest ; tail shghtly forked.

This genus contains the birds generally designated Swiftlets^by
Indian ornithologists, some of which build the " edible nests " of
commerce. These nests are shaped like a half saucer, and some of
them are white, ghstening, and composed of a substance resembling
isinglass. This was formerly supposed to be seaweed, then as-
certained to be a secretion produced by the bird, and finally shown
by Blyth (J. A. S. B. xiv, p. 210 ; Ibis, 1860, p. 323) to be de-
rived from the bird's salivary glands, which are greatly developed
in both sexes at the nesting-season. Hume showed that in the
Andamans the piu-e white nests are always made by one species,
C. francica, whilst other species use extraneous substances such as
grass and feathers cemented together by the inspissated saliva, and

176 CTPSELID.t.

their nests are consequently either less vahiable, or, in some kinds.
not worth collecting. All lay two white, very elongate cylindrico-
ovate eggs, and make their nests in caves. During the day the
birds hunt about for insects, frequently travelling great distances
for the purpose ; Jerdon relates how the birds at Vingorla Rocks
did not return to their roosts till 9 p.m., having been away all day.
The flight is rapid. Xone, so far as is known, are truly migratory,
though they wander over considerable distances. The genus
inhabits the greater part of the Oriental and Australian regions.

Key to the Sjiccies.

a. Abdomen brown like throat and breast.
«'. Tarsi naked.

a". No pale band across rump C.fuciphaga, p. 176.

b" . A pale band across rump C. francicUj p. 178.

h'. Tarsi feathered.

c". Smaller, wing 5; pale rump-band in-
distinct C. hrevirostris, p. 177.

fZ". Larger, wing 5-3; pale rump-band dis-
tinct C. innominata, p. 177.

h. Abdomen white ; tarsi naked C. linchi, p. 178.

1081. Collocalia fuciphaga. The Indian Edible-nest Siviftlet.

Ilirundo fuciphaga, Thunb. Kon. Svensk. Vet.-Ak. nya Handl. xxxiii,

p. 1.51, pi. iv (1812).
Hirundo unicolor, Jerdon, Mad. Jour. L. S. xi, p. 238 (1840) ; xiii,

pt. 1, p. 173 ; xiii, pt. 2, p. 144.
Cypselus concolor, Bhjth, J. A. S. B. xi, p. 886 (1842).
CoUocaha unicolor, Blyfh, J. A. 8. B. xiv, pp. 209, 212 ; mime, S. F.

i, pp. 295, 296 ; id. Cat. no. 103 ; Htmie 8,- Bourd. S. F. iv, p. 374 ;

Vidal ^- Hume, S. F. ix, p. 44 ; Davison, S. F. x, p. 348 ; Terry,

ibid. p. 470 ; Barnes, Birds Bom. p. 87 ; Oates in Hume's N. 4" F.

2nd ed. iii, p. 28.
CoUocaha nidifica, Gray, Gen. B. i, p. 55 (1845) ; Blyth, Cat. p. 86, pt. ;

Horsf. Sr M. Cat. i, p. 98, pt. ; Jerdon, B. I. i, p. 182, pt.
Callocalia brevurostris, ajmd Layard, A. M. N. H. (2) xii, p. 168,

nee McClell.
Collocalia fuciphaga, Wallace, P. Z. S. 1863, p. 384 ; Holdswm-th,

P. Z. S. 1872, p. 420 ; Harterf, Cat. B. M. xvi, p. 498.
CoUocaha francica, ajnid Walden, Ibis, 1874, p. 132, partim; Lexjge,

Birds Ceyl. p. 324 ; Mm-gan, Ibis, 1875, p. 313 ; nee Gmel.

Coloration. Very dark brown above, almost black, with purplish
or greenish gloss on the wings and tail ; rump not paler ; lower
parts greyish brown, the feathers sometimes dark-shafted. Tarsi
quite naked.

Irides dark brown (Bourdillon).

Length about 4-75 ; tail 2-1 ; wing 4-6 ; tarsus -4. The middle
tail-feathers are about half an inch short of the outer.

Distribution. Ceylon and the neighbourhood of the Malabar
coast as far north as Vingorla, common on the higher hills,
Nilgiris, Anamalis, &c. A few birds of this species have also been

COLLOCALIA, 177"

obtained in the Western Himalayas. Not known elsewhere
within our area, but widely distributed in the Malay Archipelago,
Papuasia, and the Philippines.

Hahits, (SfC: Those of the genus. The nests, found in caves in the
Ceylon, Nilgiri, Palni, and Travancore hills, and on Vingorla
Rocks, Pigeon Island, and other islets off the Malabar coast, are
small shallow cups made of grass, moss, and feathers cemented
together by inspissated saliva. They always contain extraneous
materials and are never pure white. The breeding-season on the
hills is from March to June, but on the coast rather earlier. The-
eggs, two in number, measure on an average '83 by "54.

1082. Collocalia brevirostris. The Himalayan Swiftlet.

Hirundn brevirostris, McClelland, P. Z. S. 1839, p. 155.

Collocalia niditica, Jerdon, B. I. i, p. 182, pt. ; Brooks, S. F. iii, p. 232.

Collocalia fuciphaga, apud Blarif. J. A. S. B. xli, pt. 2, p. 44; nee

Thunb.
Collocalia brevirostris, Hume, S. F. iii, p. 232 ; ix, p. 290 ; xi, p. 32 :

Hartert (C. fuciphagfe subsp.), Cat. B. M. xvi, p. 501.
Collocalia unicolor, ajmd ScuUy, S. F. viii, p. 235 ; nee Jerdon.

Coloration. Almost identical with that of C. fuciphaga, but the
upper parts are a little darker in general, whilst the rump is
slightly but distinctly paler than the back. Tarsi always feathered
in front.

Bill black ; irides dark brown ; tarsi and toes brownish fleshy
(^Hume).

Length about 5*4 ; tail 2-2 ; wing 5 ; tarsus "4. The outer tail-
feathers exceed the middle pair by -25 to -4 inch.

Distribution. Throughout the Himalay-as as far west as Dal-
housie, up to considerable elevations (I have seen this species at
12,000 feet in Sikliim), also in Assam and Manipur.

Habits, ^c. Those of the genus. Nidification unknown,

1083. Collocalia innominata. Humes Swiftlet.

Collocalia innominata, Hume, S. F. i, p. 294 (1873) ; ii, pp. 100,
493 ; ix, p. 1 12 ; id. Cut. no. 103 ter ; Hume ^ I)av. S. F. vi, p. 49 ;
Oates, B. B. ii, p. 7 ; Hartert, Cat. B. M. xvi, p. 503,

CoUocalia maxima, Hume, S. F. iv, p. 223 (descr. nulla).

Coloration. Upper parts blackish brown ; crown and nape
darker, sometimes forming a distinct cap ; wings and tail black
with purplish or greenish gloss ; rump pale greyish brown, with
dark shafts ; lower parts greyish brown, the feathers dark-shafted.

Tarsi feathered in front throughout ; bill and feet black ; legs
blackish brown {Davison).

Length 5'25 ; tail 2"2 ; wing 5*3 ; tarsus •46,

Distribution. Southern Tenasserim and the Andaman Islands,
A skin has also been obtained at Selangore in the Malay Peninsula.
The nidification is unknown.

VOL, III. »

178 ctpselibtE.

1084. CoUocalia francica. The Little Greij-rumped Siuiftlet.

Hirundo francica, G77iel. Si/st. Nat. i, pt. ii, p. 1017 (1788).

Collof alia francica. G. R. Grart, List Spec. Birds B. M., Fissirostres,

p. 21 (1848); Wnlden, Ibis, 1874, p. 132 (part.); 1876, p. 356

(part.) ; Harferf, Cat. B. M. xvi, p. 503.
Macropteryx spodiopygia, Peale, U.S. Expl. E.rped. p. 170, pi. 49

(1848).
Collncalia spodiopygia, Hume, S. F. i, p. 296; ii, pp. 102, 160; iii,

p. 318 ; id. Cat. no. 103 quat. ; Hume ^ Dav. S. F. vi, p. 51 ;

Oates. B. B. ii, p. 8 ; id. in Hume's N. Sr E. 2nd ed. iii, p. 35.
CoUocalia inexpectata, Hume, S. F. i, p. 296 ; Hartert, Cat. B. M.

xvi, p. 505 (C. fraucicas suhsp.).
CoUocalia fuciphaga, apud Blyth, Birds Bitrm. p. 85 ; nee Thunb.
CoUocalia merguieusis (C. francicae subsp.), Hartert, t. c. p. 506.

Zee-wa-so, Burmese (generic).

Coloration. Very similar to that of C. innomhuctn, but the size is
smaller and the tarsi are naked. The riimp-band varies in distinct-
ness, being ill-defined and brownish grey in Andaman birds
(C inexpectata), greyish white and well marked in those from
Tenasserim (C. merguiensis). The pale rump-feathers are always
dark-shafred, those of the lower surface sometimes.

Bill black ; irides very dark brown ; legs and feet brown (Davison).

Length 4*75 ; tail 2-1 ; wing 4*7 ; tarsus '4.

Distrlhutinn. Islands of the Pacific and Indian Oceans from
Samoa to Mauritius, ranging and breeding throughout the Malay
Archipelago to the coasts of Burma (Tenasserim and Arrakan)
and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

Habits, &'c. So far as is known, this bird, which produces the
best kind of the edible birds' nests of commerce, keeps mainly to
the sea-coast. The nests are entirely, as Hume has shown, com-
posed of inspissated saliva; they are white except where they are
fastened to the rock. The breeding-season in the islands of the
Bay of Bengal begins in March. Eggs measure 'SI by -53.

] 085. CoUocalia linchi. HorsfielcVs Stvlftlet.

CoUocalia fuciphaga, npud Blyth, J. A. S. B. xiv, p. 548 ; xv, p. 22 ;

id. Cat. p. 86; Walden, Ibis, 1874, p. 135: vec Thunb.
CoUocalia linchi, Horsf. & M. Cat. i, p. 100 (1854) ; Pelzehi, Novara,

ro(). p. 39, pi. ii, fio. 2, pi. vi, fig. 2 ; Ball, J. A. S. B. xli, pt. 2,

p. 276 ; id. S. F. i, p. 55 ; Hume, S. F. ii, pp. 64, 83, 108, 157 ;

id. Cat. no. 103 bis ; Blyth ilr Wald. Birds Burm. p. 85 ; Hume

^ Dav. S. F. vi, p. 49 ; Oates, B. B. ii, p. 10 ; id. in Hume's N. 8f E.

2nd ed. iii, p. 33 ; Hartert, Cat. B. M. xvi, p. 508.
CoUocalia affinis, Tytler, Beavan, Ibis, 1867, p. 318; Blyth, Ibis,

1868, p. 131 ; Walden, Lbis, 1873, p. 302 ; Hume, S. F. i, p. 296.

Coloration. Upper parts black, glossed with bluish green or
pm'ple, the feathers brown at the base ; sides of head and neck,
chin, throat, and upper breast brown ; feathers of remainder of
lower parts the same, but with broad white edges, so that the

MACBOPTBRYX. 179

abdomen is all white except the dark shafts ; tail aud wings black
beneath.

Tarsus naked ; bill and legs black (Beavan).

Length 4 ; tail 1*5 ; wing 4 ; tarsus -32. Tail nearly square.

Distribution. Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Mergui Archipelago
(Bli/th), Johore and Malacca, Sumatra, Java, and Borneo.

Habits, (Sfc. similar to those of other species. The nests are usually
in caves, and according to Hume and Davison, the latter of whom
watched the process of building, consist of brown moss firmly
agglutinated with saliva. These nests are never collected for sale,
as they are not regarded as edible. The present species at Port
Blair in the Andamans has taken to buildings, and even makes its
nests at times in inhabited rooms. The eggs, five in number,
measure about •? by •45.

Subfamily MACROPTERYGINtE.

Genus MACROPTERYX, Swainson, 1831.

The Crested Swifts form a subfamily composed of a single genus,
distinguished by their short naked tarsi, aud by the wings when
folded not extending or scarcely extending beyond the tail. There
are, however, several other characters of importance. The plumage
is softer than in other Swifts, and there is a patch of silky downy
feathers on each flank. The sexes differ, and the plumage of the
nestling is unlike that of the adults, both chai'acters not found in
other members of the family. The sincipital feathers are more or
less elongated and erectile ; in some s[)ecies there are also elongate
superciliary or moustachial tufts. The tail is long and forked.
The hind toe is not reversible. The posterior portion of the
sternum has two foramina, one on each side.

Quite recently, too, it has been shown by Mr. F. A. Lucas (Ibis,
1895, p. 300) that the deep plantar tendons in Macropteryx coronata
differ from those of other Cypseli. The Jlexor longus hallucis gives
off a slip to the hallux (which is not supplied by the/, pe?;/*. dii/i-
toruni), and then goes on to blend, not with the f.perf. digitorum as
a whole, but with that branch of it which goes to supply the fourth
digit.

The nidification on trees is described under M. coronata. Only
a single egg is laid. The genus is found in the Oriental region
and Papuasia, three species occurring within our limits.

Key to the Species,

a. Sincipital crest long ; no superciliary or mous-

tachial tufts.

«'. Back bluish grey M. coronata, p. 180.

h' . Back greenish bronze M. longipennis, p. 181,

b. Crest smaller ; white superciliary and mous-

tachial stripes elongated into tufts behind . . M. comata, p. 182.

n2

180 cypselidte,

1086. Macropteryx coronata. The Indian Crested Swift.

Hirundo coronata, Tickell, J. A. S. B. ii, p. 580 (1833).
Macropteryx coronata, Blyth, J. A. S. B. xv, p. 21 ; id. Cat. p. 87 ;

Lauard, A. M. N. H. (2) xii, p. 167 ; Fairhank, S. F. iv, p. 254 ;

Bhjth ^ Wald. Birds Burm. p. 80 ; Wardl.-Itams. Ibis, 1877,

p. 458; Oates, B. B. ii, p. 12 ; id. in Hume's N. Sr E. 2nd ed. ui,

p. .36; Hartert, Cat. B. M. xvi, p. 512.
Dendrochelidon coronata, Jerdo7i, B. I. i, p. 185 ; Beavan, Ibis, 1865,

p. 405 ; 1869, p. 405 ; Blanf. J. A. S. B. xxxviii, pt. 2, p. 169 ;

Hume, J. A. S. B. xxxix, pt. 2, p. 114; Ball, S. F. ii, p. 384 ; vu,

p. 202 ; Hicme 8r Dav. S. F. vi, p. 51 ; Legge, Birds Ceyl. p. 328 ;

Hume, Cat. no. 104; Vidal, S. F. ix, p. 48 ; Butler, ibid. p. 380;

Parker, ibid. p. 476 ; Davidson, S. F. x, p. 294 ; Terry, ibid. p. 470 ;

Sioinhoe ^ Barnes, Ibis, 1885, p. 60 ; Barnes, Birds Bom. p. 88 ;

Littledale, Jour. Bom. N. H. Soc. i, p. 196.

Fig. 52. — Head of M. cm-onafa, \,

Coloration. Male. Upper plumage and sides of neck, throat,,
breast, and flanks bluish ashy ; sincipital crest and upper wing-
coverts darker and glossed with bluish green; wiug and tail-
feathers dark brown with a green gloss; a very narrow white
superciliary line ; lores velvety black ; ear-coverts and a moustacbial
stripe from them to the chin chestnut ; chin the same but paler ;
abdomen and lower tail-coverts white, which passes gradually into
the grey of the breast and flanks.

Female without any chestnut ; ear-coverts blackish grey, bordered
below by a narrow whitish stripe from the gape ; chin grey like
the throat and breast.

Toung barred ; the feathers of the upper plumage with broad
brownish-grey borders, white at the edge, those of the lower parts
with brown subterminal bars.

Bill black ; iris dark brown ; eyelids plumbeous ; legs pinkish

brown (Oates).

Length about 9-5; tail 5*25 to end of outer, 1-75 to end of
middle feathers ; wing 6-2 ; tarsus -4.

Distribution. The better wooded parts of India and Ceylon, and

throughout Burma, except in Southern Tenasserim ; also in Siam.

' This Swift occurs along the base of the Himalayas as far west as

Dehra Dun ; it is wanting in the Punjab, Sind, and the parts of

MACBOPXEETX. 181

Rajputana, the Deccan, Carnatic, &c. that are deficient ia trees,
and is, even where common, A^ery locally distributed.

Habits, 6fG. The Crested Swift is commonly seen in small parties
about groves of trees and pieces of water in or near forest, flying
elegantly but not very rapidly for a Swift, and frequently perching
on dead branches at the tops of trees. It has a habit when perching
of erecting its pecuHar sincipital crest. It has, as Jerdon says, a
loud parrot-like call, often uttered on the wing and also when
perching. It makes a minute saucer-shaped nest, only about
1| inches in diameter, of flakes of bark and sometimes a few
feathers cemented together, and attached to the side of a horizontal
dead twig or branch with saliva. The nest is so small that it is
with difficulty seen, and the Swift sits on the branch with its body
over the nest. The breeding-season is from April to June, and a
single egg is laid, white, without gloss, and elongately-oval in shape.
An egg in Mr. Hume's collection measured -85 by "55 inch, but
he looked on this as small.

1087. Macropteryx longipennis. The Malcujan Crested Swift.

Hirundo longipennis, Rafinesque, Bull. Soc. Pkilo?n. iii, p. 153 (1802).
Hirundo klecho, Horsf. Trans. Linn. Soc. xiii, p. 143 (1821).
Macropteryx longipennis, Swains. Zool. III. ser. 2, ii, pi. 47 ; Blyth,

Cat. p. 322; Oates, B. B. ii, p. 13; Hartert, Cat. B. M. xvi,

p. 514.
Dendrochelidon klecho, Boie, Isis, 1844, p. 166 ; Horsf. ^- M. Cat.

i, p. 110 ; Bernstein, J.f. Orn. 1859, p. 183, pi. ii, figs. 3, 4, 5 (nest

& egg) ; Sdater, P. Z. S. 1865, p. 61U ; Kelham, Ibis, 1881, p. 374.
Dendrochelidon longipennis, Hume <§• Dav. S. F. vi, pp. 52, 498 ;

Hume, Cat. no. 104 ter.

Coloration. Crown, nape, back, sides of neck, upper back, scapu-
lars, wing-coverts, and upper tail-coverts metallic greenish bronze,
the sincipital crest and wing-coverts tinged with metallic blue as a
rule ; lower back and rump bluish ashy ; tertiaries partly whitish
grey; the other wing-feathers and the tail-feathers blackish, with
a purple or green gloss ; lores velvety black ; ear-coverts deep
<rhestnut ; chin, throat, breast, and flanks bluish ashy grey, passing
into white on the abdomen and lower tail-coverts.

The female has the ear-coverts black with a greenish gloss, not
chestnut. In the young the plumage is barred ; the feathers of
the upper parts pale brown, with dark borders and white outer
edges ; crest-feathers with rufous tips ; those of the lower parts
whitish with dark edges.

Iris dark brown ; legs and feet dull purple {KeThani).

Length about 8-5 inches ; tail 4, the outer feathers 2 inches
longer than the middle pair ; wing 6"5 ; tarsus '35.

Distribution. The Malay Peninsula, Sumatra, Java, and Borneo,
ranging into Tenasserim as far north as Mergui and Nwalabo
mountain.

Habits, 6[c. similar to those of 3/. coronata.

182 CYPSELID^.

1088. Macropteryx comata. The Tufted Tree-Swift.

Cypselus comatus, Teiymi. PL Col. 268 (1824).

Macropteryx comata, Blyth, Cat. p. 87; Oates, B. B. ii, p. 14;

Hartert, Cat. B. M. xvi, p. 517.
Dendrochelidon comata, Horsf. ^ M. Cat. i, p. 110 ; Hume, S. F. iii,

p. 318; id. Cat. no. 104 bis; Hume Sr JJav. S. F. vi, p. 51.

Coloration. Male. Crown, nape, throat, sides of neck just behind
ear-coverts, and upper and under wing-coverts metalUc purpUsh
blue ; narrow frontal baud, long supercilia, chin, and broad mous-
tachial stripes, extending back below and beyond the ear-coverts,
white ; lores black ; ear-coverts chestnut ; wing and tail-feathers
blackish, glossed with purplish blue ; back, rump, upper tail-coverts,
breast, and abdomen brown, glossed with bronze ; lower tail-coverts
white.

In the female the ear-coverts are metallic blue. The young has
probably brown and white edges to the feathers.

Crest small ; superciliary and moustachial stripes ending behind
in long tufts. Bill black ; irides dark brown ; legs and feet purplish
pink (Davison).

Length about 6-3 inches ; tail 3, the outer feathers exceeding
the middle pair by 1-5 ; wing 5 ; tarsus -25.

Distribution. Malay Peninsula and Archipelago, including Celebes
and the Philippines, extending into the extreme south of Tenasserim
as far as Choungthanoung, 90 miles south of Mergui.

Suborder CAPRIMULGI.

Cseca present and functional. Oil-gland nude. Palate schizo-
gnathous, the vomer truncated behind ; basipterygoid processes
present. Sternum with a broad shallow incision on each side
behind. Semitendinosus muscle present. Aftershaft to feathers
very small.

Nest none : the eggs, generally two in number, are laid on the
ground and (doubtless because of the protection thereby afforded)
differ from those of all other Macrochires by being coloured. The
young are hatched helpless, but covered with down. All members
of this suborder are crepuscular and nocturnal.

A. single family.

CAPlilMULGID.?:.

183

Family CAPRIMULGID^.

Bill short, weak and flexible ; gape very wide. Nostrils
tubular. Wings long, the second quill generally
the longest. Middle toe long, the claw (in the
typical forms) pectinated on the inside. Fourth
(outer) toe with only 4 phalanges. Plumage soft
and finely mottled.

This family is found in nearly all tropical and
temperate regions. Two genera are Indian, both
belonging to the typical section, with a pectinated
claw to the middle toe.

Fig. 53.
Left foot of
C. asiaticus.

Key to the Genera.

Stronj^ rictal bristles; no ear-tufts Caprimulgus, p. 183.

No rictal bristles ; ear-tufts present Lyncornis, p. 192.

Genus CAPRIMULGUS, Linn. 1766.

Wing long and pointed, first primary shorter than second and
generally than the third ; tail long, more or less rounded. Sexes
generally distinguished by the presence of white spots on the
wings and tail in males ; represented by buif or rufous spots, or
else wanting altogether, in females and young birds. In some
species, however, the sexes are alike. Strong rictal bristles,
generally white at the base. No ear-tufts.

The range is that of the family.

Key to the Species.

a. Tarsus almost naked.

a. No distinct black streaks on back.

a". Outer tail-feathers tipped white in J ,

buff in 5 C. mahrattensis, p. 184,

b". Outer tail-feathers white throughout
except at tip in c? , banded and mottled

throughout in § C. monticola, p. 185.

b' . Distinct but narrow black streaks on back C. asiaticus, p. 186.

b. Greater part or whole of tarsus feathered ;

back with black streaks or spots.
c'. Two outer pairs of tail-feathers tipped
white in S •
c". Black shaft-stripes in middle of crown
only,
a^. A white spot in (^ on first three
primaries ; tarsi three-quarters
feathered C. europceus, p. 1 87.

184 CAPBlMULGIi)^.

i^ A white spot in J on first four
primaries ; tarsi feathered through-
out C. 7nacrurus, p. 188.

d". Black spots over nearly whole crown . C. atidamanicus, p. 190.
d'. Four outer pairs of tail-feathers with

subterminal white spots in J C. indicus, p. 190.

The habits of all Nightjars are similar. They rest usually on
the ground amongst vegetation or stones during the day, and issue
forth at dusk to feed. Their food consists of insects, and largely
of beetles, which they capture, chiefly at all events, on the wing.
Their flight is noiseless and tolerably rapid. From time to time
they settle on the ground, on a stump of a tree, or a branch, or on
a stone, and thence utter a peculiar rather monotonous reiterated
note, which varies much in different species. When a Nightjar
perches it selects a branch of considerable size, and sits as a rule
longitudinally, not across like an ordinary passerine bird, and
whenever it alights it rests with its whole body on the ground or
perch. Besides their calls most Nightjars have a chuckling note,
uttered during flight.

The following terms are generic and apply to all Nightjars : —
Chippalc or Chcqjpa, H. ; commonly Dab-churl or Dahhalc (dabna to
crouch) and Andha-cMriya (blind-bird) ; Kcipa, Mahr. ; As Tcappri
(jadu, Tel., also Kappa pitta (frog-bird) ; Bimhasa, Bahasa, OmereU
liya, Cing. ; Pathekai (roadside-bird), Pay-marretai (devil-bird),
Tamul in Ceylon ; Tamor, Lepcha ; Wapatshai, Naga ; Hnet-pyin,
Burmese.

1089. Caprimulgus mahrattensis. SyTcess Nightjar.

Caprimulo;us mahrattensis, Sykes, P. Z. S. 18.32, p. 83 ; id. J. A. S.B,
iii, p. 422 ; Hor^f. 4' M. C«i. i , p. 1 1 4 ; Blijth, Ihis, 1862, pp. .304, 386 ;
Jerdon, B. I. i, p. 197 ; Stoliczka, J. A. S. B. xli, pt. 2, p. 232 ;
Hayes Lloyd, Ibis, 1873, p. 406 ; Hume, S. i^. i, p. 167 ; iii, p. 4o5 ;
id. Cat. no. 113 ; C. H T. S,- G. F. L. Marshall, S. F. iii, p. 331 ;
Fairhank, S. F. iv, p. 254 ; Blunford, East. Vers, ii, p. 128 ; Butler,
S. F. vii, p. 181 ; ix, p. 381 ; I)oig, S. F. viii, p. 372 ; Bnr7ies, Birds
Bom. p. 92 ; id. Jour. Bom. N. H. Soc. iv, p. 8, pi. tig. 113 (egg) ;
Gates in Hume's N. 8f E. 2nd ed. iii, p. 49 ; HarteH, Cat. B. M.
xvi, p. 561.

Caprimulgus arenarius, Blyth, J. A. S. B. xv, p. 21 (1846).

Coloration. Male. General tint of the upper parts sandy grey,
mottled and vermiculated with but few and small black streaks
and spots, none on the back, whilst those on the head and
scapulars consist of transverse spots, each produced in the middle
down the shaft of a feather, the rest of the feather buff ; sometimes
there is a collar of buff spots, but this is often inconspicuous ;
much buff on the wing-coverts ; a large white spot on the middle
of the first three primaries ; middle tail-feathers pale buffy grey,
with distinct but very broken and irregular blackish cross bars ;
two outermost pairs with pure white ends l^-lg inches long;
lower parts ftdvous grey with dusky mottUng, a white spot on

CAPBIMULGUS. 185

the throat, and the abdomen distinctly barred ; lower tail-coverts
buff, without bars.

The female has the white tips to the outer rectrices shorter than
in the male, and often sullied and mottled ; the spots on the
primaries are generally buff.

Legs and feet pale fleshy brown ; claws black ; bill and irides
dark brown {Hume).

Length about 9 ; tail •4--2 ; wing 7 ; tarsus, only feathered at the
base, '8.

Distrihation. Throughout North-western India, extending west-
ward to Afghanistan and Baluchistan, eastward to Upper Bengal
(Jerdon obtained a specimen near Caragola, south of Purneah) and
south to Belgaum, but rare except in Sind and the neighbouring
provinces.

Habits, Sfc. This Nightjar is chiefly met with on sandy ground.
It breeds in 8ind about May and June, and perhaps at other
seasons. The eggs are pale grey or greyish lilac, spotted and
blotched with pale sepia-brown, and measure about 1'13 by '80.

109(1. Caprimulgus monticola. FranJdins Nightjay.

Capriiuulgus monticolus, Franlclin, P. Z. S. 1831, p. 116 ; Blyth,
Cat. p. 84; Horsf. S,- M. Cat. \, p. 114; Jerdon, B. I. i, p. 198;
Beavun, Ibis, 1865, p. 40G, 1869, p. 400 ; Bhjth, Ibis, 1866, p. 342 ;
Adam, S. F. i, p. 371 ; Ball, S. F. ii, p. 385 ; vii, p. 203 ; Godiv.-
Aust. J. A. S. B. xliii, pt. 2, p. 153; Blyth Sj- Wald, Birds Burm.
p. 83 ; Hume, S. F. iii, p. 455 ; x, p. 349 ; xi, p. 40 ; id. Cat.
no. 114; Butler, S. F. v, p. 227 ; ix, p. 381 ; Davison, S. F. v,
p. 453 ; Hume Sf Dav. S. F. vi, p. 59 : Vidal, S. F. ix, p. 48 ;
Bimjham, ibid. p. 151; Davidson, S. F. x, p. 295; Macyregor,
ibid. p. 436 ; Gates, B. B. ii, p. 18 ; id. in Hume^s N. 4" F.
■2nd ed. iii, p. 51 ; C. H. T. Marshall, Ibis, 1884, p. 409 ; Barnes,
Birds Bom. p. 92 ; id. Jour. Bom. N. H. Soc. i, p. 43 ; iv, p. 8,
pi. fig. 114 (egg) ; Hartert, Cat. B. M. xvi, p. 547.

Coloi-ation. Male. General colour above brown or brownish grey,
with indistinct black markings and \\ith rufous edges and spots on
the scapulars and wing-coverts ; no black stripes on the back ; a
partial collar of buff spots, sometimes inconspicuous ; tail-feathers
with distinct blackish cross-bands ; a large white spot or band in
the middle of the first four primaries ; two outer pairs of tail-
feathers entirely white except at the tip ; a white spot on the
throat, the white feathers with dark tips, some rufous spots on the
breast ; rest of lower parts to breast mottled brown, the abdomen
xind lower tail-coverts buff', with bars on the former only.

The female has no white on the tail-feathers, which are all
barred throughout, and the spots on the first four primaries are
rufous buff".

Bill and gape pale brown ; irides dark brown ; legs and feet pale
fleshy brown {Bitu/ham).

Length about 10 ; tail 4*5 ; wing 7"5 ; tarsus, almost entirely
naked, •82.

186 caprimulgidjE.

Distribution. Throughout the greater part of India, from Sambhar
in Eajputana, Mount Abu and Kattywar to Mysore (but not
apparently further south, nor in Ceylon); also throughout the
Lower Himalayas, in Burma locally as far south as Amherst, in
Cochin China and Southern China.

Habits, Sfc. This bird is badly named, for it is by no means a
hill species ; its especial haunt appears to be thin forest. In the
more jungly parts of the Southern Central Provinces I found it by
far the commonest Nightjar. The call is very similar to that of
Q. asiaticus. The eggs are usually cream-coloured, spotted and
blotched with faint purple and pale brown, and measure about
1-16 by -84.

1091. Caprimulgus asiaticus. The Common Indian Nightjar.

Caprimulgus asiaticus, Lath. Ind. Orn. n, p. 588 (1790) ; Gray in
Hariho. 111. Ind. Zool. \, pi. 34 ; Blyth, Cat. p. 83 ; Horsf. ^ M.
Cat. i, p. 115 ; Jerdon, B. I. i, p. 10/ ; StoUczka, J. A. 8. B. xli,
pt. 2, p. 2.32; Holdsioorth, F. Z. S. 1872, p. 421 ; Ada7n, S. F. \,
p. 371 ; James, ibid. p. 419; Butler, S. F. iii, p. 455 ; ix, p. 380;
Bhjth S,- Wald. Birds Burm. p. 83 ; mme Sf Dav. S. F. vi, p. 59 ;
Ball, S. F. vii, p. 203 ; Hume, Cat. no. 112 ; Leyye, Birds Ceyl.
p. 343 ; Vidal, 8. F. ix, p. 48 ; Binyham, ibid. p. 150 ; Reid, S. F.
X, p. 20 ; Oates, B. B. ii, p. 17 ; id. in Hume's N. <§• E. 2ud ed. iii,
p. 48 ; Barnes, Birds Bom. p. 91 : id. Jour. Bomb. N. H. Soc. iv,
p. 7, pi. fig. 112 {eo:g) ; Hartert, Cat. B. M. xvi, p. -558.

hiJ'iill

Fig. 54. — Head of C. asiaticits, \.

Coloration. Upper parts yellowish grey, with little or no rufous
tinge ; black elongate spots on the middle of the crown, and very
narrow black shaft-stripes on the back ; a broad buff collar broken
by dusky markings ; scapulars richly marked with large black
spots and broad bright buff edges ; large buff patches on the wing-
coverts, first four primaries each with a white spot in the middle ;
middle tail-feathers like upper plumage, but with ill- marked
narrow black cross-bars, outer two pairs tipped white, the outer-
most pair have frequently the outer webs brown at the tip, but
edged with buff' throughout ; lower plumage buff, indistinctly
barred with brown, the breast and throat mottled also ; under
tail-coverts unbarred ; a narrow buffy -white moustachial stripe and
a white spot on the throat, the feathers tipped buff and black'.
Sexes alike.

Bill flesh-colour at base, the upper mandible reddish, tip dark
brown ; irides brown ; legs and feet pinkish brown.

CAI'KIMULGUS. 187

Length about 9-5 ; tail 4*5 ; wing 6 ; tarsus, unfeathered except
on the uppermost part, '8.

Distribution. From Sind and the Punjab throughout India and
Ceylon, and in Burma as far south as the neighbourhood of
Moulmeiu, but not in the higher hills nor in large forests. The
commonest Indian species.

Habits, ^-0. This is a bird of the plains and of open and
cultivated country, of groves, and gardens and low jungle. It
is commonly found near habitations. The call, constantly heard
at night, has been aptly compared to the sound made by skimming
a stone over ice, the note being repeated slowly at first, then much
more quickly. There is also, as usual, a chuckling note, uttered by
the bird on the wing. The eggs, two in number, pinkish stone to
deep salmon-pink in colour, with faint purplish blotches and
brownish spots, are laid at various times from April to July in
Northern India, but earlier in Southern India and Ceylon, and in
Khandesh in July, August, and September. They measure about
1-04 by -77.

1092, Caprimulgus europaeus. The European Nhjhtjar.

Caprimulgus europaeus, Linn. Syst. Nat. i, p. 346 (1766) ; Blanf.

East. Pers. ii, p. 127 ; id. Ibis, 1877, p. 250 ; Scully, J. A. S. B.

Ivi, pt. 2, p. 79.
Caprimulgus unwini, Hmne, Ibis, 1871, p. 406 ; id. S. F. iii, p. 407 ;

iv, p. 501 ; id. Cat. no. Ill his ; Cock Sf Marsh. S. F. i, p. 350;

Butler, S. F. vii, p. 175 ; Doic/, S. F. viii, p. 372 ; Barnes, S. F.

ix, pp. 215, 453 ; Bidduljjh, Ib'is, 1881, p. 48 ; 1882, p. 270 ; Scully,

Ibis, 1881, p. 428 ; Barnes, Birds Bom. p. 90 ; St. John, Ibis,

1889, p. 156 ; Oates in Humes N. ^- E. 2nd ed. iii, p. 47 ; Hartert

(0. europsei subsj).). Cat. B. M. xvi, p. 528.

Coloration. Male. Upper surface greyish brown, paler and
greyer in Eastern specimens ; long black spots in the middle of the
crown and shaft-stripes on the back and rump ; some elongate
black spots with buff or whitish borders on the scapulars and
buffy-white patches on the wing-coverts : a few buff streaks on
the sides of the neck ; first three quills each with a large rounded
white spot beyond the middle ; tail-feathers with ill-marked
blackish cross-bars, the two outer pairs with white ends ; a large
white patch on the throat ; chin, throat, and breast greyish brown
mottled ; lower breast, abdomen, and under tail-coverts buff with
dark bars, which become more distant posteriorly and sometimes
disappear on the under tail-coverts.

The female wants the white spots on the outer rectrices, and
those on the quills are buff or wanting.

Bill and irides black ; legs reddish brown.

Length about 10 ; tail 5 ; wdng 7 ; tarsus, about three-fourths
feathered in front, '7.

Distribution. A migi'atory bird, passing the summer and breeding
in temperate parts of Europe and Asia, and wintering in Africa
and South-western Asia. In winter this Nightjar visits the
Punjab, Sind, and occasionally part of the N.W. Provinces, there

188 CAPBIMULGID.t.

being an immature specimen in the Hume collection from Etawah ;
in summer it breeds in Kashmir, Gilgit, Afghanistan, Persia, &c.

The Eastern form of this Nightjar, C. unwini, which occurs in
India, is slightly paler and greyer and a little smaller than the
ordinary European bird, whilst the Western European variety
found in England is darker. If, as usually happens, the extreme
forms are compared, there is a considerable difference, but many
Eastern European skins are nearly as pale as G. univini.

Habits, 6)X. Those of the genus. The eggs, usually two in
number, are laid in May or June, and have been taken in the
former mouth by Colonel Marshall at Murree. They are glossy,
white, greyish white, or buff, blotched or marbled with pale purplish
grey, spotted on the surface with pale sepia-brown, and they
measure about 1*22 by "SS. They are laid in a small hollow on
the bare ground. The note of this species is a whirring sound.

1093. Caprimulgus macrurus. HorsfielcVs Nu/htjar.

Caprimulgus macrourus, Ilorsf. Trans. Linn. Soc. xiii, p. 142 (1821) ;
BIyth, Cat. p. 83 ; Hor.^f. fy M. Cat. i, p. 112 ; Jenlon, B. I. i, p. 195;
Blyth 4- Wuld. Birds Bunn. p. 83 ; Hume ^- Dav. S. F. vi, pp. 58,
498 ; Cripj}s, S. F. vii, p. 258 ; Bingham, S. F. ix, p. 150.

Caprimulgus macrurus, Blyth, J. A. 8. B. xiv, p. 204 ; Hume, S.'F.
iii, p. 46; xi, p. 39; id. Cat. no. 110; Anders. Yiimian JEcped.,
Aves, p. 588 ; Gates, B. B. ii, p. 20 ; id. in Hume's N. ^- E. 2nd
ed. iii, p. 45 ; Hartert, Cat. B. M. xvi, p. -5.37.

Caprimulgus albonotatus, Tickell, J. A. S. B. ii, p. 580 (1833) ;
Bhjth, Cat. p. 83; Jerdon, B. I. i, p. 194; Beavan, His, 1865,
p. 400 ; Godtv.-Aust. J. A. S. B. xxxix, pt. 2, p. 266, xlv, pt. 2,
p. 68 ; Bulger, Ibis, 1869, p. 155 ; Wald. in BlytKs Birds Burm.
p. 83 ; Hume, S. F. iii, p. 45 ; id. Cat. no. 109 ; Ball, 8. F. vii,
p. 203 ; Cripi)s, ibid. p. 257 ; Reid, S. i^. x, p. 19 ; Oates, B. B. ii,
p. 19 ; id. in Humes N. 8c E. 2nd ed. iii, p. 43 ; C. H. T. Marshall,
Ibis, 1884, p. 40r); Salradori, Ann. Mus. Civ. Gen. (2) iv, p. 589;
Hartert (subsp. C. macruri), Cat. B. M. xvi, p. 537.

Caprimulgus atripennis, Jerdon, III. Ind. Orn. pi. 24 (1847) ; id.
B. I. i, p. 190 ; Iloldsworth, P. Z. S. 1872, p. 421 ; Legge, Birds
Ceyl. p. 340; Ball, 8. F. vii, p. 203 ; Hume, Cat. no. Ill ; Butler,
S. F. ix, p. 380 ; Daviso7i, 8. F. x, p. .349 ; Macgregor, ibid. p. 436 ;
Barnes, Birds Bom. p. 90 ; id. Jour. Bom. N. H. Soc. iv, p. 7,
pi. fig. Ill {q^<z) ; Oates in Hume's N. <§- E. 2nd ed. iii, p. 47;
Hartert, Cat. B. M. xvi, p. .542.

Caprimulgus mahrattensis, aimd Blyth, J. A. 8. B. xiv, p. 206; id.
Cat. p. 83 ; nee 8ykes.

? Caprimulgus sp., Scully, 8. F. viii, p. 236.

The Large Bengal Nightjar, The Malay Nightjar, The Ghat Nightjar,
Jerdon ; Khallj)echa, B. (Maunbhoom).

Coloration. Male. General colour above brown or brownish
buff, varying much in depth of tint, the feathers very finely
mottled ; crown paler and generally greyer than back and marked
with elongate black spots in the middle, not at the sides ; a few
black shaft-stripes on the back; a rufous tinge round the neck, but
no distinct collar ; scapulars with large velvety-black spots and

CA.PRIMULGUS. 189

some broad buff edges; wing-coverts spotted and stippled black
and buff ; black cross-bars on the tail indistinct ; first four
primaries with a white spot beyond the middle; outer two pairs of
tail-feathers with white tips Ig-^ inches long; a large white spot
on the throat, the white feathers tipped buff and black, sides of
head more or less rufous ; a whitish moustachial stripe ; chin,
throat, and breast mottled brown, darker or jjaler, with a few
broader buff edges to the feathers ; abdomen and lower tail-
coverts buff', barred throughout, but the bars rather wider apart
posteriorly.

Female with the spots on the primaries and outer tail-feathers
smaller and tinged with buff or rufous.

Bill pinkish brown ; gape flesh-colour ; iris dark brown ; feet
brown (Oates).

Dimensions varying: in the large Northern form (C. alho-
notatus), length about 13 inches, tail 6-5-7, wing 8-9, tarsus -75 ;
in the small Ceylonese race {C. afripetmis), length 11, tail 5*5,
wing 7, tarsus "7. The tarsus is feathered throughout.

Somewhat to my surprise I find the South Indian and Ceylon
C. atripennis identical with typical C. macruriis from Java (the
original locality). It is a small bird of very dark colour, the
primaries without any rufous markings in adult males. The large
pale C. albonotatus of Northern India, with a buff-coloured, finely
and very neatly stippled crown, the breast scarcely darker than
the abdomen, and imperfect rufous bars at the base of all
primaries, is, at first sight, a very different bird ; but, as Hume
has pointed out, every intermediate gradation may be found in
the Himalayas, Assam, and Burma. These intermediate forms
have been described by Jerdon and other Indian ornithologists as
C. macrurus. Such intermediate forms are rare in Peninsular
India, though there is considerable variation : thus there is a
Nilgiri skin in the Hume collection the size of Q. atripennis, but
with the coloration of C. alhonoiahis. I therefore look upon this
as one of the cases in which a large pale form inhabiting Northern
India passes into a small dark variety to the southward on both
sides of the Bay of Bengal.

Distribution. The large pale form (C albonotatas) is found
throughout the Himalayas at low elevations, in the North-west
Provinces, Bengal, Chutia Nagpur, and Eaipur, and in Burma.
Intermediate forms between the large pale C. albonotatus and the
small dark C. macrurus occur from the Eastern Himalayas to
Tenasserim, Siam, and China. Typical C. macrurus ranges
through the Malay Peninsula and Archipelago to Queensland and
New Gruinea, and also (as C. atripennis) inhabits Ceylon and
Southern India as far north as the Godavari to the eastward and
Belgaum to the west.

Habits, Sfc. All the varieties ai'e chiefly forest birds, though
occurring in Northern India in wooded parts of cultivated country.
The call of this species is compared by several observers to the
'sound made by striking a plank with a hammer ; a low chirp is

190 CAPRIMULGID^.

also uttered during flight. The breeding-season is from March to
May, and two eggs are laid, varying in tint from pale salmon or
buff to lilac-grey, with pale purplish blotches and a few brown
spots. They measure 1'08-1"3 by •8o--95.

1094. Caprimulgus andamanicus. The Andaman Nightjar.

Capiimulgus andamanicus, Hume, S. F. i, p. 470; ii, pp. 162, 493;

id. Cat. no. 110 bis ; Oates in Humes N. Sf E. 2nd od. iii, p. 46 ;

Hartert, Cat. B. M. xvi, p. 543.
Caprimulgus macrurus, apud Waldcn, Ibis, 1874, p. 131 ; nee Horsf.

Coloration very similar to that of C. macrurus, but the black
spots on the crown are broader, more numerous, and not confined
to the middle ; the mottling of the feathers throughout is coarser,
the buff edges of the scapulars narrower and less conspicuous.
The upper plumage in general much resembles that of C. indicus.
The white spots on the primaries are small and often rufous on
the edges, and the white tips to the outer tail-feathers are shorter
than in C. macrurus. In the female there are no larger rufous
patches on the primaries, only narrow rufous bands and spots.

Length about 11 ; wing 7; tail 5-2; tarsus, feathered through-
out, "6.

Distribution. The Andaman Islands.

Habitit, ^'c. So far as known, those of the genus. One of
Mr.Davison's men obtained the eggs, two in number, on April 12th ;
they were very regular ovals, a delicate salmon-pink, " mottled,
streaked, and ornamented with zigzag and hieroglyphic lines of a
darker and somewhat purplish pink. They measure 1*07 and 1*13
in length and "85 in width."

1095. Caprimulgus indicus. T7ie Jungle Nightjar.

Caprimulgus indicus, Latham, Ind. Orn. ii, p. 588 (1790); Gray in
Hardiv. 111. Ind. Zool. i, p. .34; Blytli, J. A. 8. B. xiv, p. 208;
Jerdon, III. Ind. Orn. pi. 24 ; Bli/th, Cat. p. 82 ; Horsf. 8f M. Cat.
I, p. 113; Jerdon, B. I. i, p. 192; Stoliczka, J. A. S. B. xxxvii,
pt. 2, p. 19 ; Butler, S. F. iii, p. 454 ; v, pp. 218, 227 ; ix, p. 380 ;
Blyth, Birds Burm. p. 83 ; Morqan, Ibis, 1875, p. 313 ; Fairhank.
S. F. iv, p. 254 ; Davidson ^ Wend. S. F. vii, p. 77 ; Ball, ibid.
p. 202; Hume, Cat. no. 107; Vidal, S. F. ix, p. 48; Davidson,
S. F. X, p. 294; C. H. T. Marshall, Ibis, 1884, p. 409 ; Barnes,
Birds Bom. p. 89 ; id. Jour. Bom. N. H. Soc. i, p. Gl ; iv, p. 7, pi.
fig. 107 ; Oates in Hume's N. S^- E. 2nd ed. iii, p. 40.

Caprimulgus cinerascens, Vieill. TaU. Enc. Meth. p. 545 (1823) ; id.
Nouv. Diet. d'Hist. Nat. x, p. 283.

Caprimulgus jotaka, Temm. 8( Schley. Faun. Jap., Aves, p. 37, pi. 12
(1847) ; Wald. in Blyth' s Birds Burm. p. 83 ; Oodiv.-Aust.
J. A. S. B. xliii, pt. 2, p. 163 ; xlv, pt. 2, p. 68 ; Hume 8r Dav. S. F.
vi, p. 56 ; Hume, Cat. no. 107 bis ; id. S. F. xi, p. 38 ; Scully, S. F.
viii, p. 236 ; Oates, B. B. ii, p. 21 ; Hartert, Cat. B. M. xvi, p. 552.

Caprimulgus kelaarti, Blyth, J. A. S. B. xx, p. 175 (1851) ; Jerdon,
B. I. i, p. 193; Holdsioorth, P. Z. S. 1872, p. 421 ; Morqan, Ibis,
1875, p. 314 ; Hume <§• Bourdillon, S. F. iv, p. 381 ; Hume, S. F,
vii, p. 203 ; id. Cat. no. 108 ; Leyge, Birds Ceyl. p. 337 ; Butler,

CAPIIIMULGUS. 191

8. F. ix, p. 380 ; Davison, S. F. x, p. 348 ; Tern/, ibid. p. 470 ;

Oates in Humt^s N. ^- E. 2ad ed. iii, p. 41 ; Hai-iert (C. jotakse
■ 0.), Cat. B. M. xvi, p. 555.

The Jungle Nightjar, The Neilgherry Nightjar, Jerdon.

Coloration. Male. General colour above dark brown, more
spotted and blotched with black than other Indian species ; crown,
nape, and back with black spots and streaks throughout : a
partial collar of buff spots, sometimes obsolete ; the black patches
on the scapulars generally distinct, but the buff edgings broken
up ; rounded, fulvous or whitish spots on the wing-coverts ; black
cross-bands on tail generally well-marked ; first four primaries
with a white spot, that on first primary very small ; all the tail-
feathers except the middle pair with a subterminal w4iite band,
the extreme tip dusky or black ; a large white spot forming a
band across the throat, and a buff moustachial stripe ; chin to
breast very dark, with a few buff or whitish spots ; abdomen and
lower tail-coverts buff, banded with darker brown, closely in front,
more distantly behind.

Female. No white tips to tail-feathers ; spots on the primaries
small and rufous ; throat-band buff.

Bill vinous brown, paler at the gape, the tip black ; iris deep
brown ; legs and feet vinous brown.

Dimensions variable: in a large Assamese bird (C jotaka),
length 12-5, tail 5*6, wing 8-5, tarsus '65 ; in small Ceylon speci-
mens (C 7i-eZrtrtrfi), length about 10-5, tail 5'25, wing 7'25, tarsus "H.
Tarsus feathered throughout.

Hume and others have shown that although typical C. l-elaarti
from Ceylon is greyer and smaller than ordinary Indian speci-
mens (C. indicus), it is impossible to distinguish them. Hima-
layan and Assamese specimens are larger still, and Japanese
typical C. jotaka largest of all, but there is a complete gradation,
and all appear to belong to one species. According to Hume
there is a difi'erence in the call between C. jotaJca and C. indicus
(C. Tcelaarti) ; but it is difficult to find any distinctive character in
the birds.

Distribution. From the Amur and Japan to Cochin China,
Malacca, Java, Borneo, and New Guinea ; and locally throughout
[ndia and Ceylon, this Nightjar being found in the lower Ilima-
layas, the Punjab, Mount Abu, the forest tracts of the Indian
Peninsula, and especially the hills of Southern India and Ceylon,
and scattered sparingly throughout Burma.

Habits, Sfc. In many places this bird is said to be migratorv.
It is especially a forest form, appearing at the edge of forest in
the evening, and uttering its call in the twilight. The breeding-
season in India appears to be generally from March to May,
but eggs have been taken at Eaipur in August — much like
those of other Nightjars, salmon-coloured to creamy-white with
pale purplish and darker brown markings, and they measure about
1-15 by -86.

192 CAPKIMULGID7E.

Genus LYNCOENIS, Gould. 1835.

This genus is distinguished from Caprimulgus by the want of
rictal bristles and the presence of ear-tufts or aigrettes, consisting
of a few elongate feathers just above and behind the ear-coverts.
Sexes alike. About six species are known, ranging from Southern
India to New Guinea, but only one occurs within our area.

1096. Lyncornis cerviniceps. The Great Eared NvjJitjar.

Lyncornis cerviniceps, Gould, Icon. Av. pt. ii, pi. 14 (1838) ; Blyth,

J. A. S. B. xiv, p. 209; Jerdon, Ibis, 1871, p. So6; Blyth ^■■

Wald. Birds Biirm. p. 82 ; Htime, 8. F. ii, pp. 102, 469 ; xi, p. 40 ;

zd. Cat. no. 114 bis ; Hiivie S,- Iw/lis, S. F. v, p. 17 ; iJavisoti, ibid.

p. 454 ; Wardl. Ramsay, Ibis, 1877, p. 459 ; Hume 1^- Dav. S. F.

vi, p. 60 ; Bimjham, 8. F. ix, p. 151 ; Gates, B. B. ii, p. 22 ; id.

in Hume's N. cf E. 2nd ed. iii, p. 52 ; Hartert, Cat. B. M. xvi,

p. 604.
Eurostopodus cerviniceps, Blyth, Cat. p. 82.
Lyncornis bourdilloni, Hime, S. F. iii, p. 302; id. Cat. no. 114 ter ;

Hume ^- Bourd. S. F. iv, p. 382.
Twwn-dweny-ngat , Arakan ; Din-hoo-unh, Assam.

Fig. 55. — Head of L. cerviniceps, ^.

Coloration. General colour above rich brown, the surface
beautifully mottled ; crown and nape buff, finely vermiculated
with black, and with a few black oval spots in the middle ; sides
of head and chin black, the feathers with rufous edges ; ear-tufts
black, tipped the colour of the crown ; back and rump buff, mixed
with black and chestnut: scapulars buff and i black mixed down
the middle, with a band of black and chestnut in larger blotches
on each side ; wing-coverts black and chestnut mixed ; quills
black, with broken bands of rufous and black above, buff and
black below ; tail with alternating bars of buff and grey, each
mottled with black ; a large white spot on the throat ; fore-neck,
like chin, breast, and abdomen, buff", with black bars.

Bill light horn-colour ; iris dark brown ; legs and feet brownish
fleshy.

Length about 16 ; tail 8 ; wing 12 ; tarsus 0'75.

Distribution. Throughout Burma in evergreen forests near hills,
extending south into the northern part of the Malay Peninsula,

PODARGID^.

193

and north to Manipur, Tipper Assam, and Cachar, where this
bird is common in August and September only. A specimen is
said by Jerdon to have been obtained in the Teesta Valley, Sikhim,
and a "large Nightjar, probably this species, has been noticed in
the Andaman Islands. The only other locality is the Travancore
hills, where specimens were shot by Mr. Bourdillon. The first
obtained was regarded by Mr. Hume as distinct on account o£ its
small size, but other skins show that there is no constant difference
of importance.

Habits, <^c. Very similar to those of Caprimulgus, except that
L. cervinkeps has been found by Major Bingham roosting in caves
in the daytime. Hume had suggested the probability of this
being the case. This bird appears soon after sundown, according
to Blyth and Davison, flying at a considerable height at_ first,
then nearer the ground, and capturing the insects on which it
feeds. The note is a characteristic full clear trisyllabic whistle,
uttered on the wing or from a perch. A single egg, found by
Davison on January 10th, was a long cylindrical ovaU creatn-
coloured, with irregular blotches of pale lilac-grey, looking as if
they were beneath the surface (a common character o£ Capri-
mulgine eggs). It measured 1-65 by I'lS. It was laid on the
ground in a slight depression, without any nest.

Suborder PODARGI,

Athough these birds are distinguished from the Caprimulgi by
having a desmognathous palate, no basipterygoid processes nor
oil-gland, by the possession of a powder-down patch on each side
of the rump, and by widely different nidification, the Frogmouths,
as they are called, are generally regarded as much more nearly
allied to Nightjars than Swifts are. The sternum has a low keel
and a pair of deep incisions on each side of the posterior border.
The stomach is muscular. The nest is either built of twigs, or
else is a pad or cup of down, leaves, moss, &c. placed on a branch,
and the eggs are one or two in number, white and glossless. Young
hatched helpless and downy. Habits nocturnal and insectivorous.

A single family.

Family PODARGID^.

Bill large, depressed, extremely broad, much more solid than
in Caprimulgidce, curved, and the tip hooked. Base of the bill
overhimg by large numbers of bristly feathers, concealing the
nostrils, which are narrow slits protected by membrane.

YOL. III. O

194 PODABGID^.

This family inhabits the Oriental and Australian regions ; one
genus is Indian.

Genus BATRACHOSTOMUS, Gould, 1838.

Wings rounded, short, 4th and 5th quills longest. Tail long,
graduated. No rictal bristles, but there are conspicuous bristly-
feathers at the base of tlie bill ; tufts of the same in front of the
eyes, and ear-tufts, with bristles at the ends of the feathers. Tarsus
short; feet small, middle toe elongate. Sexes inmost species very
different in plumage.

This genus, which is nearly allied to the Australian Podargus,
inhabits the greater part of the Oriental region, and comprises
about nine species, of which three occur within Indian limits.

Key to the Species.

a. General colour speckled greyish brown.

a! . Crown with irregular black blotches ;

wing- 5'3 B. hodgsoni S > P- 194.

b' . Crown without distinct black marks ;

wing 4-5 B. affinis ^ , p. 196.

c'. Crown with small black spots, each ter-
minating behind in a whitish speck .... B. moniligei'(S , P- 196.

b. General colour chestnut.

d'. Scapulars with large white black-bordered
patches ; no white on wing-coverts.

a" . Wing 5-3 ; colour bright B. hodgsoni 5 > p- 194.

b". Wing 4-5 ; colour dull B. affinis $ , p. 196.

c'. Scapulars ending in small black and buft'

spots ; white spots on wing-coverts .... B. moniliger 5 , p. 196,

1097. Batrachostomus hodgsoni. Hodgson's Frogmouth.

Batrachostomus afhnis, apnd Blyth, J. A. 8. B. xviii, p. 806 {nee
xvi, p. 1180); Walden, Ibis, 1876, p. 355; Tweeddale, Ibis,

1877, p. 388, partim ; id. P. Z. S. 1877, p. 426, pt. ; Oates, B. B. ii,
p. 15, pt. ; Salvadori, Ann. Mus. Civ. Geti. (2) vii, p. 382.

Otothrix hodgsoni, G. R. Gray, P. Z. S. 1859, p. 101, pi. clii ;

Jerdon, B. I. i, p. 190 ; id. Ibis, 1871, p. 356 ; Hume, S. F.iy, p. 377.
Batrachostomus castaneus, Hume, S. F. ii, p. 349 ; vii, p. 148 ;

Blanf. Ibis, 1877, p. 251; Tweeddale, ibid. p. 388; Hume, Ibis,

1878, p. 120.

Batrachostomus hodgsoni, Walden in Blyth' s Birds Burm. p. 83;

Hume, S. F. vi, p. 53 ; xi, p. 34 ; id. Cat. no. 106 ; Oates in

Hume's N. ^ E. 2nd ed. iii, p. 39 ; Hartert, Cat. B. M. xvi,

p. 642.
Batrachostomus javensis, Godic.-Aust. J. A. S. B. xlvii, pt. 2, p. 13 :

Hume, S. F. vii, p. 147.
Sumbong, Naga, Manipur.

Coloration. Male. Upper surface brown, an intimate mixture
of black and rufous or buff ; supercilia whitish ; crown and nape

BATRACHOSTOMUS. 195

with irregular black blotches ; a few smaller black spots on the
back ; a whitish collar produced by white feathers with black cross-
bands round the hind-neck ; much white on the scapulars and
whitish buff on the tertiaries ; quills brown, the outer webs and
tips mottled and spotted with rufous-white ; tail banded, paler
and darker, the cross-bands with imperfect blackish-brown edges;
lower surface paler than upper, of rufous, white, and black mixed,
white prevailing on the abdomen ; a more or less distinct white
band across the lower throat.

Female. Eich chestnut throughout ; supercilia white ; chin,
vent, and lower tail-coverts whitish ; a nuchal collar of white
feathers banded with dark brown ; some of the scapulars, a band
of feathers across the throat, and a second across the breast white
with black borders ; tail with darker mottled cross-bands.

Toung very imperfectly known, probably each resembles an
adult of the same sex.

Fig. .56. — 'H.e&dL o{ B. hodgsoni, J. \.

Bill light madder ; irides marbled buff ; legs light madder tinged
with violet ( W. Ramsay).

Length about 10-5 ; tail 6 ; wing 5*3 ; tarsus -65 ; width ° of
bill at gape 1-2,

Distribution. Sikhim, at low elevations ; Naga hills ; Manipur ;
Toungngoo in Burma ; Karennee, Probably throughout the
country from Sikhim to Northern Tenasserim, but apparently very
rare.

Habits, 6fc. Scarcely known at all, but doubtless similar to those
of other species. The stomach of a female brought to Mr. Hume
in Manipur contained beetles. The breeding-season appears to
be from April to June ; the nests are either circular pads or deep
cups composed of moss, roots, or leaves and twigs, lined with
grass or down, placed on a branch or the stem of a tree. The
eggs, one or two in number, are glossless white, and measure
about 1-09 by -64.

o2

196 PODABGIB^.

1098. Batrachostomus affinis. Blyth's Frogmouih.

Batrachostomus affinis, BIyth, J. A. S. B. xvi, p. 1180 (1847);
Tweeddale, P. Z. S. 1877, p. 426 (pt.), pi. xlv; id. Ibis, 1877,
p. 338 ; Hume, Ibis, 1878, p. 120; id. Cat. no. 105 ter ; Bingham,
S. F. ix, p. 149; Oates, B. B. ii, p. 15, ^t. ; Kartert, Cat. B. M.
xvi, p. 643.

Podargus affinis, Blyth, Cat. p. 81.

Coloration of both sexes very similar to that of B. hodgsoni, but
the male of the present species has on the crown no black spots,
but usually some minute M-hite or buff specks, and there is a
reddish- brown collar above the whitish one, w-hich is raore
distinct than in B. hodgsoni. The breast too is more rufous.
The female is darker and duller chestnut. The vsize is smaller :
length about 8*5 ; tail 4-4 ; wing 4-5 ; tarsus '55 ; breadth of
gape 1*2.

Distribution. The Malay Peninsula, Borneo, and probably
Sumatra. A single specimen, apparently belonging to this species,
was obtained by Major Bingham in the Meplay valley, south-east
of Moulmein in Tenasserim.

1099. Batrachostomus moniliger. The Ceylonese Frogmouih.

Podargus javanicus, apvd BIyth, J. A. S. B. xi, p. 798.

Podargus javanensis, ajmd Jerdon, Madr. Jour. L. S. xiii, pt. 2,

p. 143 ; Blyth, J.A.S. B. xiv, p. 309 {nee Horsfeld).
Batrachostomus moniliger, Layard, Blyth, J. A. S. B. xviii, p. 806;

Layard, A. M. N. H. (2) xii, p. 165; Jerdon, B. I. i, p. 189;

Holdsio. P. Z. S. 1872, p. 420 ; Legye, Ibis, 1874, p. 12 ; id. S. F.

iii, p. 198 ; Hume <§• Bourd. S. F. iv, p. 376 ; Tweeddale, P. Z. S.

1877, p. 439, pis. xlviii, xlix ; Hvme, Cat. no. 105 ; Legge, Birds

Ceyl. p. 331 ; Oates in Hume's N. ^ E. 2nd ed. iii, p. 38 ; Hartert,

Cat. B. M. xvi, p. 644.
Batrachostomus punctatus, Hume, S. F. i, p. 432 ; ii, p. 355 ; iii,

p. 199; iv, p. 377; id. Cat. no. 105 bis; Blanford, Ibis, 1877,

p. 262 ; Tweeddale, ibid. p. 391 ; Hume, Ibis, 1878, p. 122.

The Wynaad Frogmouih, Jerdon.

Coloration. Male. General tint mottled grey, with a more or less
rufous tinge ; supercilia whitish ; black spots, each terminated
by a buff speck, on the crown and ba