of the Ethiopian Region. 405 



Adult female. Different from the male in having the malar 

 stripe dusky, the head darker, and the side of the neck and 

 breast more olive and considerably mottled and barred with 

 dull white; "bill black; tarsus black; iris orange •'^ {T. E. 

 Buckley) ; " bill and tarsus light ash-colour ; iris light ashy 

 brown '^ (T'. Ayres). Total length 9"5 inches^ culmen 1*5, 

 wing 5-3, tail 3*5, tarsus I'O. 



Young male. General colour above dusky olive-brown, 

 nearly uniform, being very faintly spotted with a paler tint ; 

 head ashy, the nape partaking of the colour of the back ; 

 wings spotted and barred as in the adult ; rump dusky, barred 

 with a lighter shade of dusky buff and washed with pale 

 crimson; tail-coverts dusky, barred with buff; tail dusky 

 black, barred with buff ; shafts rich brown ; malar stripe 

 tinged with crimson ; breast dusky, spotted with buff ; under- 

 parts dusky buff, faintly barred with a darker shade, the 

 breast and abdomen being faintly washed with crimson; 

 under wing-coverts paler and less olive than in the older 

 bird ; the axillaries pale buffy brown with dusky spots ; in 

 all other respects very similar to the adult. 



Young female. Similar to the young male, but having the 

 crown and nape more olive-brown, and without any red on 

 the malar stripe. 



In a male specimen, dated April 24th, the feathers of 

 the crown and nape are of a dusky olive upon their margins, 

 this colour producing a mottled appearance ; the flanks, 

 thighs, upper tail-coverts, and tail (towards the tip) washed 

 with crimson. On the tips of some of the feathers of the 

 upper parts, both in adult and young, a trace of crimson is 

 observable. 



After carefully going over Latham's original description, , 

 I have come to the conclusion that, although it is not alto- 

 gether satisfactory, it is really intended for the present species, 

 which ought therefore to bear the name of Geocolaptes oliva- 

 ceus (Gm.), founded on the " Crimson-breasted Woodpecker " 

 of Latham. The description of the latter author gives the 

 total length of the bird as 10^ inches and the bill as 2 inches, 

 which will be seen to be incorrect on comparison with tiiose 



