412 Mr. E. Hargitt on the Woodpeckers 



tail washed with, golden, deeper and more orange at the tip ; 

 under wing-coverts white, with a slight yellow tinge, and 

 barred with olive-black ; axillaries dull white, tipped with 

 yellow and having dusky bars. Total length 8'5 inches, 

 culmen 1*45, v\ang 5*5, tail 2*65, tarsus 0*85 ; toes (without 

 claws) — outer anterior 0*6, outer posterior 0'75, inner anterior 

 0-5, inner posterior 0-35. 



In another male specimen (apparently a very old bird, but 

 an imperfect skin) the chest is more tinged with yellow, the 

 back more uniform ; tips of the upper tail- coverts richer 

 orange, approaching to red ; the two central tail-feathers 

 darker and nearly uniform, with only an indication of 

 barring, and the margins more orange. 



Adult female. Eesembling the adult male, but having no 

 red on the hind crown and occiput, this region being of a 

 velvety black ; the forehead and greater part of the crown 

 black, spotted with white, as in the male. Total length 8*3 

 inches, culmen 1*35, wing 5*1, tail 2*45, tarsus 0'8. 



This is the representative of M. namaquus in Eastern and 

 North-eastern Africa. It is very like that species, but is dis- 

 tinguished by a branch from the moustachial stripe joining 

 the auricular one. It was originally discovered by Riippell 

 in Shoa, and was noticed by Prince Paul of Wurtemburg in 

 Quamamil. Von Heugliu met with it in the forests of 

 Bongo and on the river Wan, where it was apparently rare. 

 I have also seen a specimen in Captain Shelley^s collection 

 from Ugogo, procured by Sir John Kirk; and Dr. Fischer 

 obtained it at Muniuni. 



3. Mesopicus goertan. 



Le Goertan ou Pic vert du Senegal, Daubent. PI. Enl. 

 p. 369, pi. 32; Buff. Hist. Nat. Ois. vii. p. 25 (1780). 



Picus goertan, P. L. S. Miill. Natursyst. Suppl. 1776, 

 p. 91. 



Crimson-rumped Woodpecker, Lath. Gen. Syn. i. pt. 2, 

 p. 583. no. 29 (1782). 



Picus goertan, Gm. Syst. Nat. i. p. 434 (1788) ; Lath. Ind. 

 Orn. 1790, p. 236 ; Steph. Gen. Zool. ix. pt. 1, p. 179 (1815) ; 



