Piculets of the Old World. 229 



as if barred ; under surface of the tail repeating the upper ; 

 under wing-coverts sooty black ; edge of the wing, to the 

 carpal joint, yellowish white ; axillaries a mixture of dusky 

 and white ; under surface of the wing dusky, the margin of 

 the basal half of the inner webs whitish ; shafts white at 

 the base, light dusky brown towards the tip ; some of the 

 shafts of the outermost primaries are white at the extreme 

 base, the remaining part being light yellowish grey or brown. 

 " Eyes brown-black ; bill plumbeous ; feet plumbeous " 

 (MS. label). 



Total length 4*5 inches, culmen '5, wing 2"3, tail 1*35, 

 tarsus '5 ; toes (without claws) — outer anterior "4, outer pos- 

 terior "4, inner anterior "27, inner posterior '\7. 



The unique specimen of this bird was presented by Mr. 

 Bowdler Sharpe to the British Museum, and is marked as 

 being from May-chee. He procured it out of a number of 

 Chinese birds offered for sale in London some years ago, and 

 apparently duplicates from the Shanghai Museum. The label 

 states that the sex could not be ascertained, as the parts were 

 damaged by shot ; but I have no doubt, in my own mind, 

 that it is a male. The species appears to be a very distinct 

 one, differing from V. innominata in its larger size, and in 

 the colour of the crown, which is rufescent brown, instead of 

 olive-brown. 



2. Verreauxia. 



Sasia, pt., Verr. Rev. et Mag. de Zool. p. 217 (1855). 



Verreauxia, Hartl. Orn. W.Afr. p. 176 (1857). Type 

 V. africana. 



Picumnus, pt., Malh. Monogr. Picid. ii. p. 284 (18G2). 



Nannopipo, Cab. & Heine, Mus. Hein. Th. iv. p. 9 (1863). 

 Type V. africana. 



Range. Confined to the forests of the Gaboon. 



1. Verreauxia africana. 



Sasia africana, Verr. Rev. et Mag. de Zool. 1855, p. 218 ; 

 Gray, List Pic. Brit. Mus. 1868, p. 29; id. Hand-1. B. ii. 

 p. 180. no. 8535 (1870). 



SER. IV. VOL. V. R 



