258 On the Woodpeckers of the Genus Hemicercus. 



shaped spot of black at the tip; edge of wing yellowish 

 white ; bastard- wing and primary-coverts black ; quills black, 

 the base of the inner webs white ; the inner secondaries buffy 

 white, having at the tip a broad black bar, or upon the inner- 

 most of all a black heart-shaped spot ; shafts black ; upper 

 tail-coverts, tail, and tail-shafts black ; nasal plumes, fore- 

 head, crown, occipital crest, nape, and hind neck, also the 

 upper part of the face, in a line from the nostrils to the nape, 

 black, the forehead and crown minutely speckled with white ; 

 a stripe of pale buff (tinged with yellow) from under the eye, 

 passing under the ear-coverts and running down the side of 

 the neck on to the side of the chest, upon the latter region 

 the buffy- white feathers having a large black spot at the tip ; 

 cheeks, chin, and throat pale buff, slightly tinged with yel- 

 low ; fore neck, and a stripe from behind the cheeks border- 

 ing the chin and throat, greyish olive, the feathers next to 

 the light stripe down the side of the neck being slightly 

 varied with black ; chest, breast, and abdomen dusky olive, 

 brighter on the chest ; flanks, thighs, vent, and under tail- 

 coverts black, the feathers of the vent having an almost ob- 

 solete margin of dirty white at the extreme tip ; under wing- 

 coverts and axillaries yellowish white ; underside of quill- 

 and tail-shafts dirty whitish, the tips of the latter dusky ; 

 '' bill black ; legs and feet blackish, tinged with plumbeous ; 

 irides deep brown'' {PV. Davidson). Total length 5*7 inches, 

 culmen 0'85, wing 3 "7, tail 1'35, tarsus 0"7 ; toes (without 

 claws) — outer anterior 0*63, outer posterior 0*72, inner an- 

 terior 0*45, inner posterior 0"32. 



Adult female. Differs from the adult male in having the 

 forehead and crown pale buff. Total length 5*5 inches, cul- 

 men 0"75, wing 3'45, tail 1*3, tarsus 0"63. 



This bird is fairly entitled to rank as a subspecies and to 

 bear the name bestowed upon it by Dr. Jerdon. Although 

 it resembles H. canente in the plumage of both sexes, its very 

 much smaller size is so conspicuous that it cannot be mistaken 

 for the latter species. Although the measurements of the toes 

 are nearly the same in both birds, in H. cordatus they are much 

 more slender, H. canente having the tarsi and toes very stout. 



