PICARIAN BIRDS AND PARROTS OF CEYLON. 205 
upper back and primary coverts, rump, tail coverts, and tail 
are black ; scapulars and middle of the back golden-yellow ; 
a portion of the wing coverts and the outer webs of the 
secondaries golden-olive ; primary quills and inner webs of 
secondaries black with white spots ; the wing coverts are also 
more or less spotted with yellowish-white. The jaws, chin, 
throat, and fore-neck are black, speckled with white ; the 
lower neck and upper breast mainly black. The rest of the 
lower surface, with the upper flanks whitish, more or less 
tinged with tawny buff, each feather margined with black, 
most heavily on the breast ; the lower flanks and under tail 
coverts barred with black. 
Forest Race : The yellow of the back and wings is tinged 
more or less with orange, or even red ; some specimens are so 
red that they are probably hybrids between this and the 
next species. 
Female : The feathers of the forehead and crown are black 
with terminal white spots, the crest is crimson as in the 
male. 
Bill slaty-black ; iris reddish-brown ; legs and feet dark 
green. 
Length about 10°5; wing 5:25; tail 3°5; tarsus °8 ; bill 
from gape 1-5. 
Distribution —Occurs only in the northern half of the 
Island. The palest specimens come from the Jaffna peninsula 
and the scrub country adjoining the coast of the Northern 
Province. In the jungles of the North-Central Province the 
specimens are much darker, and appear to interbreed with 
the red-backed species B. erythronotus. 
In India the present species is found over the greater part 
of the continent westward of Assam. 
Habits, &c.—A common bird in the north of the Island, 
occurring in coconut and palmyra groves, village gardens, 
scrub jungle, and forest. 
It is usually seen in pairs. The nest is the usual hole in the 
stem of a tree. The breeding season is about April. Three 
rather glossy white eggs are laid, measuring about 1°10 by °8. 
3 6(5)20 
