24. MESOPICUS. 



367 



h. S ad. sk. Bof,'ota. Sclater Coll. 



*. cJ iuim. ; k. $ Autioquia, U. S. Colombia Salvin-Godoiau Coll. 



ad. sk. (T. K. Sahnoii). 



I, m. Jjad. sk. Autioquia (T. A". <S'a//HWi). Sclater Coll. 



24. MESOPICUS. 



Type. 

 MesoiDicos, Malh. Mem. Acad. Metz, 1848-49, 



p. y40 M. goertau. 



Scolecotheres, Reichenb. Scans. Picince, p. 427 



(1854) M. griseocephalus. 



Camponomus, Cah. ^' Heine, Miis. Hein. iv. 



p. 137 (1863) M. p3'iThogaBter. 



Polipicus, Cass. Proc. Acad. Philad. 1803, p. 1 96. M. ellioti. 



Bill of Mesopicm goertan. 



Range. Senegambia to Angola and east through Equatorial 

 Africa to Abyssinia and Massai-Land. Prom Angola ranges in a 

 south-easterl}- direction into the Transvaal and extreme south of 

 Cape Colony, 



Key to the Species*. 



A. Eump and upper tail-coverts red. 



a'. Underparts uniform, or with only a trace of 

 dusky bars posteriorly ; with no auricular or 

 malar stripes. 

 a". Head and neck silver-grey or bluish grey, 

 the underparts yellowish grey ; one or 

 more of the lateral tail-feathers always 

 spotted or partially barred oo both webs. 

 a'". Middle of the abdomen yellow, orange, 

 or reddish. 



«*. Crown and occiput red f/oertan c^aA.,-p. 360. 



h''. With no red on the crown or occiput r/oertan 2 ad., p. 369. 

 b'". Entire abdomen and middle of the lower 



breast bright scarlet. [p. 371. 



c*. Crown and occiput red spoducephalus (^ a,i., 



* I have not included Gray's Picus africanus in this or any other of my 

 genera. The type no longer exists, and there is so much reason to doubt its 

 being a good species that I prefer to leave it out. If such a species do exist, 

 I should say, from the description, that it will be found to belong to the present 

 genus and to be nearly allied to M. pyrrhoyaster. 



