THE IBIS. 



FIFTH SERIES 



No. IX. JANUARY 1885. 



I. — Notes on Woodpeckers. — No. IX. On the Genus 

 Micropternus. By Edward Hargitt, F.Z.S. 



After Mr. Hurae^s admirable paper on the genus Micro- 

 pternus (' Stray Feathers/ 1877^ p. 472), it would perhaps 

 appear unnecessary on my part to take up the same subject, 

 and my notes must not be viewed as a critique, but as a sup- 

 plement to Mr. Rumen's work. As regards the Indian and 

 Indo-Malayan species, I entirely agree with him ; but my 

 views concerning the Chinese species, M. fokiensis and M. 

 holroydi, are not in harmony with his. This may perhaps be 

 accounted for by my having had the opportunity of carefully 

 examining the Swinhoe collection (now in the possession 

 of Mr. Seebohm), which contains the types, and by my 

 having seen the specimens in the British Museum ; while 

 Mr. Hume, on his part, frankly tells us that he has only 

 examined one specimen of M. fokiensis, and that he has never 

 seen M. holroydi at all. In my opinion, M. fokiensis is as 

 clearly distinct from M. brachyurus as the latter species is 

 from M. phcBOceps ; and the Hainan bird, M. holroydi, may 

 be readily distinguished from M. fokiensis, the Foochow 



SER. V. VOL. III. B 



