PICID^ 



GEOCOLAPTES 



127 



The female resembles the male, but the malar region is not 

 marked with red spots. 



Iris dark red according to Buckley. 



The young birds resemble the adults of their respective sexes, 

 but are less brightly coloured, especially on the rump and under 

 parts where the crimson is only a slight blush ; the under parts 

 being further mottled and transversely varied with olive-dusky 

 and huffy- white. 



Distribution. — This bird is confined to the dryer and more 

 mountainous districts of the Colony and Natal, extending as far as 

 the " high veld " of the Transvaal. It has not hitherto been noticed 

 north of the Limpopo. 



The following are recorded localities : Cape Colony — Cape, 

 Stellenbosch, Paarl, Tulbagh, Worcester, and Caledon divisions 



Fig. 42. — Geocolaptes olivaceus. x 



(S. A. Mus.), Colesberg (Layard), Windvogelberg in the Cathcart 

 div. (Boulger) ; Natal — Maritzhurg (Bt. Mus.), Mooi river (Ayres), 

 and Newcastle (Butler, Bt. Mus.) ; Orange Eiver Colony — Kroonstad 

 (Symonds) ; Transvaal (Buckley). 



Habits. — This bird, unlike all other Woodpeckers, lives almost 

 entirely on the ground ; it is usually to be found only among the 

 rocky boulder- strewn and treeless hills, with which so large a 

 portion of South Africa is covered ; here it is to be seen wandering 

 about in small parties of from six to a dozen birds, except during the 

 breeding season. Among the barren hills of the south-western part 

 of the Colony it frequently associates with the rufous rock babbler 

 {Chaetops frcnatus) ; at night it roosts in holes and crevices among 

 rocks. Occasionally these birds perch on low branches of tree 



