PICID^ CAMPOTHERA 133 



7^/ ~$M* 



439. Campothera bennetti. Bennett's Woodpecker. 



A~ 



Chrysoptilus bennetti, Smith, Rep. Exped. Cenfr. Afr. p. 58 (1836); 

 Gurney, Ibis, 1869, p. 296 [Limpopo river] . 



Campethera variolosa, Gray, Gen. B. ii, p. 439 (1846). 



Chrysopicus variolosus, Malli. Monogr. Picid. ii, p. 165, pi. 95, figs. 1, 2 

 (1862). 



Campethera bennetti, Lat/fird, Ibis, 1871, p. 227 [Kanyej ; Sharpe, ed. 

 Layard's B. Afr. p, 181 (1875) ; Atjrcn, Ibix, 1879, p. 299 [Rusten- 

 burg] ; Gates, ' Matabeleland, p. 306 (1881); Hargitt, Ibis, 1883, 

 p. 456; Ayres, Ibis, 1886, p. 291; W. Ayres, Ibis, 1887, p. 53 

 [Lehtaba river] ; Hargitt, Cat. B. M. xviii, p. 102 (1890) ; Shelley, B. 

 Afr. i, p. 131 (1896) ; Sharpe, Ibis, 1897, p. 501 [Zululand] ; Wood- 

 ward Bros. Natal B. p. 104 (1899) ; Marshall, Ibis, 1900, p. 250 

 [Mashonaland] . 



Ipagrus variolosus, Gurney, Anderssori's B. Damaraland, p. 222 

 (1872). 



Description. Adult male. Crown and occiput crimson, the former 

 usually showing the slaty bases of the feathers; back and wings 

 very dark olive, with narrow transverse bands of white ; wing-quills 

 dusky, washed with olive, with bright yellow shafts and spotted 

 on the outer web with pale olive, the inner one with white ; tail- 

 quills golden-olive with yellow shafts, the central pair unbarred, the 

 lateral ones obscurely barred with dusky ; feathers round the eye, 

 ear-coverts and throat pure white ; a well-developed crimson malar 

 stripe ; rest of the lower surface and sides of the neck pale yellow, 

 spotted on the breast and flanks with rounded black spots. 



Iris dark wine colour ; bill blackish-slate ; legs and feet slate. r 



Length about 7-25 ; wing 4-55 ; tail 2-50 ; culmen 1-0 ; tarsus 

 0-80. 



The female has the forehead and crown black spotted with white ; 

 the lores, ear-coverts, chin and throat chesnut-brown, the malar 

 region and remaining portions of the face white. 



Distribution. Bennett's Woodpecker was first discovered by Sir 

 A. Smith during his memorable journey to the interior in 1836 in 

 the neighbourhood of Kurrichane, in what is now the Kustenburg 

 district of the Transvaal. From here it is spread over the greater 

 part of Bechuanaland, Rhodesia, and the bush country of the Trans- 

 vaal, as far as Swaziland and Zululand. Beyond our limits it has 

 been found in Nyasaland and the interior of German east Africa. 



The following are localities : Zululand Black Umfolosi river 

 (Woodward) ; Transvaal Swaziland (Bt. Mus.), Zand and Sabi 

 rivers in Lydenburg (Francis in S. A. Mus.), Lehtaba river in 



