PICIDJE. 233 



o464. Laimodon Unidentatus. (Licht) Verz 



Sud arc, Thiere, p. 17. 



GENERAL colour above, black, pencilled with yellow ; fore- 

 head deep crimson ; a stripe extends from the 'nostril, over 

 the eye, to the back of the head ; the first part of this is 

 yellow, the last part white ; a broad white line also extends 

 from the corner of the bill down the side of the throat ; chin 

 and gorget black ; belly dirty white, mixed with grey ; wing- 

 secondaries nnd tail-feathers margined with yellow ; bill 

 black, strong, and with a tooth in the upper mandible. 

 Length, 6"; wing, 3" 6'"; tail, 2" 3'". 



Common in mimosa bush throughout the Karroo, and has apparently 

 a very wide range, having been received from Beaufort, Swellendam, 

 Knysna, Kaffraria, Colesberg, Hopetown, Kuruman, and Damara- 

 land. It also appears in Mr. Chapman's collection. 



It is a solitary bird, never more than one pair being seen together, 

 and that but seldom. Its call is similar to that of the Indian Bucco 

 Indicus, viz., " poo-poo-poop," three syllables, constantly repeated. 

 While uttering this cry, it remains stationary in some tree, but evi- 

 dently expends much labour on its monotonous call, its body being 

 jerked up and down the while. It feeds on fruits and berries, and is 

 said to build in hollow trees ; but I was not fortunate enough to obtain 

 its nest. Mr. Atmore writes : " Feeds on seeds and insects. I see 

 them frequently feeding on the ground. I know of a tame one which 

 roved about unconfined. It eat meat, bread, sugar, corn, in fact 

 anything appeared very much attached to its mistress, and came 

 regularly into the house to be fed. It disappeared at the pairing 

 season, so I suppose it got married ! They nest in- holes of trees, but 

 don't make the holes. Eggs spotted." 



465. Laimodon Nigrithorax. (Cuv.) 



Personatus, Tern. ; PI. Col. 201 ; Cuv., Vol. 2, p. 467 ; 

 Pogonorhynchus Torquatus ; Barbican Masqut, Le 

 Vail. Barb., t. 28 ; Lesson, Vol. 2, p. 137. 



TOP of head and front, sides of head, chin, throat, and gor- 

 get, brilliant scarlet, all bounded by a band of glossy black, 

 more or less broad ; back and shoulders grey-green ; quill- 

 feathers of wings and tail dark-brown, margined with bright- 

 yellow, the latter very slightly so ; under parts green-yellow, 

 tinged here and there with scarlet ; base of bill sparsely 

 covered with long bristles. Length. 6i"; wing. 3" T"; tail, 

 2" 6'". 



Inhabits Kaffraria and Natal, from whence came the specimen her* 

 described. 



