THE GOLDEN-BACKED WOOD- 

 PECKER 



i 



golden-backed woodpecker (Brackypter- 

 nus aurantius) is the only member of the 

 Picidae family I have seen within Madras 

 municipal limits ; other woodpeckers may 

 visit the city of Madras, but I have never seen them. 

 If they do come at all, it is only at rare intervals ; pos- 

 sibly the profession tax keeps them at a distance. 

 Brachypternus aurantius is in its way a handsome bird. 

 Its figure, it is true, is not beautiful, being workmanlike 

 rather than ornamental. Its plumage, however, is as 

 gaudy as the illustrations in the " tuppence coloured " 

 picture-books of the Lord Mayor's Show, which are 

 hawked in the streets of London on the 9th of No- 

 vember. 



The cock bird has a crested head of the brightest 

 crimson. The upper part of his back is rich golden 

 yellow, which becomes olive-brown lower down, and 

 black towards the tail. The wings are similarly coloured, 

 except that the feathers are marked with large white 

 spots. The sides of the head are white, relieved by 

 bold black streaks. The breast and lower parts are 

 black and white. 



