30 BIRDS OF BRITISH BURMAH. 



The female differs in wanting the red cheek-patch. 



Bill bluish white, black on the culmen and tip of both mandibles; 

 rnouth bluish black ; eyelids plumbeous ; iris dark hazel-brown ; legs dark 

 plumbeous ; claws bluish. 



Length 20'5 inches, tail 7 '5, wing 9'4, tarsus 1-5, bill from gape 3. The 

 female is considerably smaller. 



The Great Slaty Woodpecker is found in most of the large forests of 

 Burmah. Mr. Blyth records it from Arrakan ; and I procured it on the 

 hills of that Division. In Pegu I met witli it in the evergreen forests of 

 the Pegu hills on the eastern spurs ; and Capt. Wardlaw Ramsay states that 

 he found it abundant between these hills and Tonghoo, as well as on the 

 Karin hills to the east of the Sittang river. It is likely to occur in 

 Southern Pegu ; but I do not remember to have met with it anywhere 

 except in the north. Both Mr. Davison and Capt. Binglram record it 

 from Tenasserim, over which Division it appears to be uniformly dis- 

 tributed. 



It extends southwards through the Malay peninsula to Sumatra, Java 

 and Borneo; and Dr. Tiraud gives it from Cochin China. To the north 

 it has been obtained in the Khasia hills by Col. Godwin- Austen ; and it 

 occurs at the foot of the Himalayas in Oudh and Nipal. 



This Woodpecker, unlike most others, is usually found in small flocks. 

 As far as I have observed it, it appears to be restricted to the densest 

 forests, frequenting large trees and being extremely wary. Capt. Bingham 

 found the nest in Tenasserim in April. The eggs, two in number, were 

 laid in a hole in a large wood-oil tree which had been blown down and 

 served as a foot-bridge across a river. 



Genus HEMICERCUS, Swains. 



426, HEMICERCUS CANENTE. 

 THE BURMESE HEART-SPOTTED WOODPECKER. 



Picus canente, Less. Cent. Zool. p. 215, pi. 73 ; Sundev. Consp. Av. Pic. p. 11. 

 Micropicus canente, Malh. Mon. Pic. i. p. 190, pi. xlii. fig. 1-3. Hemicercus 

 canente, Jerd. B. 2nd. i. p. 280 (part.) ; Hume, S. F. iii. p. 61 ; Bl. 8f Wold. 

 B. Burm. p. 74 ; Inylis Sf Hume, S. F. v. p. 25 ; Hume Sf Dav. S. F. vi. p. 127 ; 

 Hume, S. F. viii. p. 87, ix. p. 112 ; Bingham, S. F. ix. p. 161. 



Description. Male. Forehead, crown, a bushy occipital crest, sides of 

 the head and neck, back and scapulars black ; the forehead and front of 

 the crown minutely speckled with yellowish white ; rump and all the wing- 

 coverts next the body buffy yellowish; the remaining wing-coverts and 



