742 PATAGONIAN EXPEDITIONS I ZOOLOGY. 



requiring to be carefully dissected oft", and adhering to the crown of the 

 skull almost as intimately as periosteum." 



A. A. Lane says:^ "This is an inhabitant of the forests of Southern 

 Chili, and probably peculiar to them, unless found on the eastern side of 

 the Andes. I believe it does not extend north of Arauco, and in this 

 latter province only occurs inland. I could get no positive proof of its 

 existence in Chiloe, but it probably occurs in parts of it which are still 

 under forest. I never met with Colaptes pitius and Dendrocopus lignarius 

 in the virgin forest, except about clearings, but the present species, on the 

 contrary, does not occur out of it. On this account it is not often ob- 

 tained, and is consequently considered to be somewhat a vara avis, 

 though pretty well known by the name of 'el Carpintero' or 'Carpintero 

 grande.' 



" The feet and legs are grey, the claws black, and the iris is orange- 

 rufous. The iris of the female is much redder than that of the male, and 

 I was told by a Chilian that this was invariably the rule. 



" Owing to the destruction of the forest by encroaching settlers, these 

 birds have been driven back towards the interior, and are therefore scarcer 

 on the coast. I was fortunate only on a few occasions in meeting with 

 them whilst in the province of Valdivia. I believe they always go in 

 pairs, like the 'Pitigiie,' but frequently two or three pairs go together. 

 They have not a loud call, like the Pitigiie, but make curious rasping and 

 chuckling noises, such as might be heard from Magpies. The noise they 

 make hammering away the bark can be heard a good way off I have 

 seen large holes made by them in the trunk of a growing tree, but could 

 not ascertain the object, as these were not sufficiently large for nesting, 

 and must have occasioned more labour than the bird could be expected 

 to exert in its ordinary feeding operations." 



Order PASSERIFORMES. 



Sharpe, Cat. Bds. Brit. Mus. iii. p. i (1877); Sharpe, Hand-List Eds. iii. 

 p. 4 (1901). 



Suborder MESOMYODI. 

 Sclater, Cat. Bds. Brit. Mus. xiv. p. i (1888); Sharpe, Hand-List Bds. 

 iii. p. 4 (1901). 



' Ibis, pp. 48-49, 1897. 



