FICULETS. 253 



colours of the parrots — green, red, blue, and yellow variously 

 combined ; Avhile the black and red plumage of the tooth-billed 

 division corresponds with that of the most perfectly-formed 

 woodpeckers. 



Some barbets {Capita) inhabit the tropical regions of South 

 America ; a solitary species {Psilopogon pyroIopJuts) is found in 

 the vast forests of Sumatra, where it wanders from tree to tree in 

 search of various fruits, preferring especially those of the wild fig; 

 while another, equally rare, is only met with in Malacca. 



The type of the race is — 



Richardson's Barbet {Capita Richardsoni). 



Sub-Fainilj' II. 



THE PICULETS. PICUMNIN^. 



General Characteristics.— Bill short, straight, the sides compressed towards the 

 tip, which is rather acute ; the gonys of the lower mandible lengthened and ad- 

 vancing upwards ; and the tail short, with the tip of each feather broad and round. 



These little birds inhabit the forests of South America and 

 India. They are seen perched singly or in pairs on small trees, 

 firmly grasping them with their toes. They possess the power of 

 leaping from one branch to another, but they do not usually em- 

 ploy their tail in supporting themselves on the trunks, as is the 

 case with the true woodpeckers. They build their nest in rotten 

 trunks of trees, in which the females deposit two eggs. In a few 

 Indian species, the feet are furnished with only three toes, two in 

 front and one behind. 



The Piculets differ from the woodpeckers chiefly in their dimi- 

 nutive size, and in the soft broad feathers of their tail, which are 

 twelve in number. 



Among the Indian species may be enumerated — 



The Speckled Piciilet ( Viviainnominata), an interesting little bird found 

 throughout the Himalayas, and apparently in no other locality; its range ex- 

 tending to an altitude of from 3,000 to 6,000 feet. It is found in tangled brush- 

 wood, and among dead and fallen trees in damp localities, hunting about 

 among the decaying bark for various insects. It is said to breed in the holes 

 of trees. 



The Rufous Piculet {Sasia ocliraccd) occurs in Nepal and the Eastern 



