90 CAPITONID^. 



Megalaima viridis, Blyth, Cat. p. G7 ; Horsf. 8f M. Cat. ii, p. 639 ; 



Jevdoii, B. I. I, p. 311 ; Davidson, S. F. x, p. 298; Barnes, Birds 



Bom. p. 122. 

 Megalgema viridis, Marshall, Man. Cap. p. 81, pi. 3o; Morgan, Ibis, 



1875, p. 315 ; Fairhank, S. F. iv, p. 255 ; v, p. 396 ; Hume <^- 



Bourdillon, S. F. iv, p. 391 ; Hume, Cat. no. 194 ; Vidal, S. F. 



ix, p. 54 ; Butler, S. F. ix, p. 387 ; Davison, S. F. x, p. 358 ; 



Mac(jregor, ibid. p. 437 ; Taylor, ibid. p. 458. 

 Megalsema sykesi, Hayes Lloyd, Ibis, 1873, p. 125. 

 Cyanops viridis, Shelley, Cat. B. 31. xix, p. 83 ; Oates in Hume's 



N. ^ E. 2nd ed. ii, p. 325. 



Naked space round eye much smallei' than in T. zeyhnicus ; area 

 above the gape feathered. 



Coloration. Head above and nape dark brown not striated ; hind 

 neck greener, the feathers pale-shafted ; sides of neck brown, with 

 pale shaft-stripes ; upper plumage from neck bright grass-green ; 

 sides of head, chin, and throat whitish, except the lores, a band 

 running back from the eye, and a narrower rather broken malar 

 stripe, which are dark brown ; breast whitish, the feathers with 

 dark-brown edges ; abdomen and under tail-coverts pale green ; 

 quills blackish brown, with pale buff inner margins ; primaries 

 pale-edged outside near tips ; lower surface of tail washed with 

 pale verditer-green. 



Bill pale horny brown ; irides red-brown ; orbital skin brown ; 

 legs plumbeous brown (Jerdon) • orbital skin dusky slate ; legs 

 greenish plumbeous (Butler). 



Length 9 ; tail 2-6 ; wing 4 ; tarsus 1*05 ; bill from gape 1'5, 

 Specimens from the North {Megalaima syhesii) average slightly 

 larger than those from Travancore. 



Distribution. The Sahyadri and other ranges of hills near the 

 Malabar coast from the Tapti to Cape Comorin. This bird is 

 found up to the tops of the Nilgiris and Palnis. 



Habits, Sfc. Very similar to those of T. zeyhnicus and T. lineatus. 

 Davison says this bird clings like a Woodpecker and taps (probably 

 only when cutting its nest-hole). The call is less loud than that of 

 T. zeyhnicus but similar. T. viridis breeds from February to 

 May, laying three or four eggs in a retort-shaped nest-hole ; the 

 eggs are white, only moderately glossy, and measure about 1"13 

 by -86. 



Genus CHOTORHEA, Bonap., 1854. 



To this genus belong six Malay Barbets distinguished as a ride 

 by brilliant coloration about the head and by having a black, some- 

 what elongate, but not high bill, the length of which is more than 

 twice the height. The culmen is considerably curved and much 

 exceeds the tarsus in length. The wing is rounded. Nostrils 

 exposed. A single species extends into Tenasserim. This has 

 been included by Shelley in Cyanoi^s, but I agree with Salvador! 

 and Oates in referring it to the present genus. 



