MICROPTEENUS. 55 



short, its claw very small, third and fourth toes subequal. Plumage 

 throughout pale chestnut with black bars, which vary greatly in 

 development in different species. 



The genus Micropternus extends throughout the Oriental region ; 

 three species, which are merely geographical races, separated by 

 very slight characters, and tending greatly to pass into each other, 

 being found within our area. They are birds of veiy singular 

 habits, having a peculiar, strong, unpleasant smell, and living 

 chiefly or entirely on tree-ants. Their plumage is almost always 

 smeared with a gummy substance derived from ants' nests, and 

 the heads of ants are often found attached to their tail-feathers. 

 Moreover, they lay their eggs m holes made in the large ants' nests 

 that are so common in India attached to branches of trees or 

 bamboos. 



Keif to the Species. 



a. Central part of pale-edged chin and throat- 

 feathers of same colour as breast M. phceoceps, p. 55. 



h. Central part of chin and throat-feathers darker 

 than breast. 

 a . Pale-bordered throat-feathers extend to 



malar region , , . . M. brachyurus, p. 57. 



b'. Pale-edged throat-feathers do not extend 



to malar region M. (jularis, p. 57. 



983. Micropternus phaeoceps. The Nortliern Rufous Woodpecker. 



Picus rufus, Gray in Hurdiv. III. Ind. Orn. i, pi. xxix, fig. 2 (1830- 



32), nee Gmel. 

 Micropternus phaioceps, Blyth, J. A. S. B. xiv, p. 105 (1845) ; id. 



Cat. p. 60 ; Ti/tler, A. M.N. H. (2) xiii, p. 867 (185i) ; Jlorsf. ^ 



M. Cat. ii, p. 667 ; Jerdon, B. I. i, p. 294 ; Godw.-Aust. J. A. S. B. 



xxxix, pt. 2, p. 267 ; xliii, pt. 2, p. 176 ; Ball, S. F. ii, p. 392; 



vii, p. 206 ; Hume Sf Oates, S. F. iii, p. 72 ; Blyth ^ Wald. Birds 



Burm. p. 77 ; Gammie, S. F. iv, p. 511 ; Hume, S. F. v, p. 480 ; 



Hume S,- Dnv. S. F. vi, pp. 145, 501 ; Cripps, S. F. vii, p. 262; 



Sculli/, S. F. viii, p. 249. 

 Phaiopicos blythii, Malherhe, Rev. Mag. Zool. 1849, p. 534. 

 Meiglyptes ruliuotus, Malh. Bonap. C(msp. \, p. 113 (1850). 

 Micropternus barmanicus, Hume, P. A. S. B. 1872, p. 71. 

 Micropternus rufinotus, Godw.-Aust. J. A. S. B. xlv, pt. 2, p. 70. 

 Micropternus pliteoceps, Hume, Cat. no. 178; id. S. F. ix, p. 112; 



xi, p. 64 ; Bingham, S. F. ix, p. 164 ; id. Ibis, 1885, p. 332 : Oates, 



B. B. ii, p. 57 ; Salradori, Ann. Mus. Civ. Gen. (2) iv, p. 580 ; 



V, p. 568 ; vii, p. 380 ; Hargitt, Ibis, 1885, p. 3 ; id. Cat. B. M. 



xviii, p. 393 ; Oates in Humes N. ^ E. 2nd ed. ii, p. 308. 



The Bengal Rufous Woodpecker, Jerdon ; Fi-ing, Lepcha. 



Coloration. Male. The whole plumage dull rufous (light chest- 

 nut) ; top of the head and occiput tinged with dusky brown, the 

 feathers slightly paler at the edges, feathers of the chin and throat 

 with much more distinct pale edges ; feathers beneath the eye and 

 for a short distance forwards and backwards tipped with crimson ; 

 upper parts from the neck and the wing and tail-feathers with black 



