2 Mr. E. ITargitt on the Woodpeckers 



species. I acknowledge my obligations to Mr. Hume for 

 the valuable assistance I have derived from his labours. His 

 thorough knowledge of tlie Indian species, aided by an 

 extensive series of specimens, has enabled him to enlighten us 

 on the many difficult points to be found in a genus where the 

 members are so closely allied, and where the individuals of 

 each species vary so much in size and markings according to 

 locality and age. 



Keij to the Species. 



a. Top of the head uniform. 



fl'. Feathers of the chin and throat uniforin with 

 the iinderparts, but with paler margins ; striated 

 in character. 

 <t^. Tail rufous, narrowly barred with black; the red 



on the face confined to a patch uuder the eye. . p/taoceps, p. 3. 

 b''. Tail barred rufous and black at the base, the 

 apical half black; the eye entirely surrounded 



with red hadiosus, p. 6. 



h^. Feathers of the chin and throat darker than the 

 underparts, the apical portion only margined 

 with whitish, scaly in character ; tail rufous, 

 narrowly barred with black gularis, p. 7. 



b. Top of the head striated. 



c\ Above rufous, barred with black ; underparts rufous ; 

 feathers of the chin and throat darker than the 

 uudei-parts, but with paler margins, scaly in cha- [p. 10. 



racter ; tail barred e(|ually rufous and black .... brachyurus, 

 d^. AboA'e dark brown, narrowly barred with rufous, 

 the barring more or less indistinct ; underparts 

 dark brown, 

 c'. Head and neck very much lighter than the body ; 

 striations on the chin and throat strongly 

 marked and darker than the underparts ; back 

 and rump entirely barred with dull rufous : size 

 large — length 8"3 inches, culmen 1-], wing 5-0, [p. 12, 



tail 2-8, tarsus 0-85 foldensis, 



d"^. Head and neck brown, and only slightly lighter 

 than the body ; feathers of the chin and throat 

 unicolorous with the underparts, but with paler 

 margins ; rufous barring on the back and rump 

 almost obsolete : .size .small — length 7"5 inches, 

 culmen 1-0, wing 4-5, tail 2-4, tarsus 0-85 .... holroydi, p. 15. 



