50 PICIDJE. 



in length ; tail short ; outer pair of tail-feathers longer than the 

 coverts ; first toe well- developed ; fourth (or reversible) toe a 

 little longer than third. Colour bay above more or less banded 

 with black, very dark brown beneath, a partial red collar in 

 males. 



Only two species are known. 



Key to the Species. 



Larger : wing 575 ; back barred P. pyrrhotis, p. 50. 



Smaller : wing 4*8 ; back not barred P. rubiginosus, p. 51. 



The oldest name for this genus, Venilia (of which the type 

 appears to have been V. porpliyromelas, Bp. Consp. i, p. 128) can- 

 not be used, as it h;;d previously been employed in both Lepidoptera 

 and Mollusca. Lcpocestes of Cabanis (1863) has been adopted by 

 Hargitt, but Pyrrhopicus and Plinthopicus of Malherbe date from 

 1861, and I accept the first. Blythipicus of Bonaparte (1854) is 

 generally regarded as too absurd a term to be admitted. ' 



978. Pyrrhopicus pyrrhotis. The Red-eared Bay Woodpecker. 



Picus pyrrhotis, Hodys. J. A. 8. B. vi, p. 108 (1837). 



Gecinus pyrrhotis, Btyth, Cat. p. 59. 



Blythipicus pyrrhotis, Bonap. Consp. Valuer. Zygod. p. 9; Hume, 



S. F. vii, p. 520 ; xi, p. 63 ; id. Cat. no. 176. 

 Venilia pyrrhotis, Horsf. fy M. Cat. ii, p. 666; Jerdon, B. I. i, p. 291 ; 



Godw.-Aust. J. A. S. B. xliii, pt. 2, p. 155 ; xlv, pt. 2, p. 70 ; 



Walden in BlytJis Birds Burm. p. 77 ; Inglis, S. F. v, p. 26 ; 



Hume fy Dav. S. F. vi, p. 142 ; Oates, B. B. ii, p. 39. 

 Lepocestes pyrrhotis, Hargitt, Cat. B. M. xviii, p. 380. 



Fi-ing, Lepcha. 



Fig. 14. Head of P. pyrrhotis. 



Coloration. Male. Whole head brown, the forehead, sides of 

 head, and chin paler ; feathers of forehead and crown pale-shafted ; 

 a bright crimson half-collar behind the ear-coverts extending more 

 or less completely round the nape ; all upper parts from the nape, 

 with wing-feathers and coverts, barred rufous and black, the rufous 

 bars broadest on the quills, back-feathers fringed with deeper red ; 



