HEMICERCUS. 453 



Gen. HemieercUS, Swains. 



Bill straight, considerably compressed, the lateral ridge slight near the 

 margin ; wings long, nearly reaching (when closed) to the end of the tail ; 

 tail very short, broad ; neck short, very slender ; feet very large ; versatile toe 

 always longer than the anterior one. Woodpeckers of diminutive size and 

 stout make. No red whatever in their plumage. 



1067- Hemicercus cordatus, Jerd., III. Ind. Om. pi. 40; 



Hume, Sir. F. iii. p. 61 ; iv. p. 389; v. p. 25. Picus canente, Lesson,, Cent. 

 Zool.^A. 73 ; Sundev., Consp. Av. Pic. p. 1 1 . Micropicus canente, Malh., Mon. 

 Pic, i. p. 190, pi xlii, figs. 13. Hemicercus canente, Jerd., B. Ind. \. 

 p. 280, No. 165 ; Hume, Sir. F. iii. p. 6 1 ; iv. p. 389 ; Blyth and Wald., 

 B. Br. Burm. p. 74 ; Inglis and Hume, Sir. F. v. p. 25 ; Hume and Dav., 

 Sir. F. vi. p. 127 ; Hume, Sir. F. viii. p. 87 ; ix. p. 112 ; Bingham, Sir. F. 

 ix. p. 161 ; Oates, B. Br. Burmah ii. p. 30. The HEART-SPOTTED WOOD- 

 PECKER. 



Forehead, crest, top and sides of the head, sides of the neck, back, scapu- 

 lars, primaries, secondaries and tail black ; frontal zone black, very minutely 

 speckled with whitish ; rump bullish yellow ; upper tail coverts black, very 

 narrowly edged with buflish yellow or pale yellowish white ; wing coverts and 

 tertiaries buffish or pale yellow, the feathers with a heart-shaped spot near the 

 tip ; chin, cheeks, and throat yellowish buff; a stripe from the lower mandible 

 running under the ear-coverts, yellowish-white ; under surface of the body 

 from the throat olive slate, or blackish green ; under tail coverts black, the 

 feathers tipped narrowly with buffish. The female has the forehead and crown 

 buffy yellowish. Bill black ; irides reddish ; legs and feet greenish-black. 



Length. 6*4 to 7 inches; tail 1*75 to 2 ; wing 3-6 to 3-8; tarsus 07 ; bill 

 from gape I. 



Hab. Southern and Central India and the Indo-Burmese countries. Found 

 in the Malabar forests, above and below the ghauts and in the forests in the 

 Chanda district. 



In British Burmah, Oates says, it occurs locally throughout the province. It 

 is recorded from Arracan, Pegu, Karin hills east of Tonghoo, and from 

 throughout Tenasserim. In Cachar it has also been found. According to Capt. 

 Bingham, who found the nest in March, it lays only two eggs. 



1068- Hemicercus SOrdidUS (Eyton), Salvad., Ucc. Born. 

 p. 46; Tweed., Ibis, 1877, p. 291; Hume and Dav., Sir. F. vi. p. 291; 

 Hume, Sir. F. viii. p. 87. Dendrocopus sordidus, Eyton, Ann. Nat. Hist. 

 Ser. i. xvi. p. 229. Picus sordidus, Sundev., Consp. Av. Pic. p. 10. Hemi- 

 cercus brookeanus, Salv., Ucc. Born. p. 44. EYTON'S BUFF WOODPECKER. 



Forehead and the whole crown crimson, tapering to a point on the occiput ; 

 the sides of the head, the whole neck, the hinder part of the elongated nuchal 

 crest, chin, throat and breast olive slate colour ; back, scapulars, wing coverts 



