58 piciD.i:. 



and Aitken found the eggs laid in ants' nests. According to Legge, 

 it often feeds on the ground, and lie has seen it breaking up the 

 dried dung of cattle. He also says it has a loud note, often heard 

 very early in the morning. 



Genus BRACHYPTERNUS, Strickland, 1841. 



Bill scarcely longer than head, the culmen curved ; nasal ridge 

 close to the culmen, but subobsolete ; nostrils exposed. First 

 (hind) digit and claw very small, together scarcely as long as one 

 of the claws of the other digits ; third and fourth toes subequal. 

 Wings and tail longer than in Micropternus ; outer tail-feathers a 

 little longer than the coverts. A red occipital crest in both sexes ; 

 crown red in males, black with wdiite spots in females ; back 

 yellow or red, lower parts black and white or fulvous. 



This genus is peculiar to India and Ceylon. 



Key to the Sjyecies. 



Back yellow or orange B. aurantius, p. 58. 



Back crimson B. erythronotus, p. GO. 



986. Brachypternus aurantias. The Golden-hacked Woodpecl-er. 



Picus anrantius and P. bengalensis, Linn. Syst. Nat. i, pp. 174, 175 

 (1766). 



Malacolophus melanochrysos, Hodys. J. A. 8. B. vi, p. 109 (1837). 



Brachypternus aurantius, Strickl. P. Z. S. 1841, p. 31 ; Blyth, Cat. 

 p. 56; Horsf. Sr M. Cat. ii, p. 654; Adams, P. Z. S. 1858, 

 p. 475 ; 1859, p. 174 ; Jerdon, B. I. i, p. 295 ; Ball, S. F. vii, 

 p. 206; Criijps, ib. p. 263; Hume, Cat. no. 180; Reid, S. F. x, 

 p. 25 ; Oates in Hume's N. Sf E. 2nd ed. ii. p. 309. 



Brachypternus micropus, Blyth, J. A. S. B. xiv, p. 194 (1845). 



Brachvpternopicus chrysouotus {Less.), apud Malh. Rev. Zool. 1845, 

 p. 404. 



Brachypternopicus puncticollis, Malh. t. c. p. 405. 



Brachypternus dilutus, Blyth, Cat. p. 56 (1849); id. Ibis, 1866, 

 p. 356 ; Jerdon, B. I. i, p. 297 ; Hume, S. F. i, p. 171 ; id. Cat. 

 no. 182 ; Doiy, S. F. viii, p. 370. 



Brachypternus chrysonotus, a2)ud Horsf. Sf M. Cat. ii, p. 656 ; Jerdon, 

 B. I. i, p. 296; McMaster, J. A. 'S. B. xl, pt. 2, p. 209; Fair- 

 bank, S. F. iv, p. 255. 



Brachypternus puncticolhs, Hnldsworth, P. Z. S. 1872, p. 428 : Hume, 

 Cat. no. 181 ; Leyye, Birds Ceyl. p. 205, pi. ix ; Vidal, S. F. ix, p. 53; 

 Butler, ib. p. 386 ; Davidson, Jour. Bomb. N. H. Soc. vi. p. 336. 



Brachypternus intermedins, Leqqe, S. F. iv, p. 242 ; White, S. F. v, 

 p. 201 ; Parker, S. F. ix, p. 4^9. 



Brachypternus aurantius and B. puncticollis, Davisoti, S. F. x, p. 356 ; 

 Barnes, Birds Bom. pp. 118, 119; Ilaryitt, Cat. B. M. xviii, 

 pp. 404, 407. 



Coloration. Male. Forehead and crown black, the feathers 

 tipped with crimson ; occipital crest bright crimson, the feathers 

 with whitish shaft-stripes ; a narrow stripe on each side of the 

 crown, and a broad band through the eye to the nape, including 

 upper lores and ear-coverts, mixed black and white ; remainder of 



