Mr. J. Gould on new Birds from Formosa. 163 



Megal^ma nuchalis, Gould. 



Forehead dull olive ; immediately before the eye a small patch of 

 red ; throat sulphur-yellow ; remainder of the cheeks, the ear-coverts, 

 back of the neck, and a band across the lovs^er part of the throat pale 

 greenish blue, to which succeeds a band of red, separating the sulphur- 

 yellow of the throat from the yellowish green of the under surface ; 

 upper surface and tsil green, with an obscure patch of red on the 

 mantle ; primaries blackish brown, externally margined with green ; 

 bill blackish horn-colour, except the base of the under mandible, 

 which is sulphur-yellow ; legs olive-black. 



Total length, 7i in. ; bill. 1|; wing, 4^; tail, 2| ; tarsi, 1. 



Remark. — This very distinctly marked species is about the size of 

 Megalcema asiatica. 



Picus insui.aris, Gould. 



Male: forehead crossed by a narrow band of buff; crown of the 

 head scarlet ; lores, cheeks, sides of the neck, and throat white ; a 

 black line, commencing at the base of the lower mandible, passes 

 down between the ear-coverts and the throat, on to the sides of the 

 chest, where it forms a broad patch ; flanks buffy white, strongly 

 striated with black ; lower part of the abdomen and under tail-coverts 

 rosy scarlet ; mantle, shoulders, upper tail-coverts, and four middle 

 tail-feathers black ; centre of the back white, crossed with irregular 

 rays of black, as in Picus leuconotus ; wings black, spotted with white 

 on both webs of the feathers, as in tbat species ; outer tail-feathers 

 alternately barred with black and white ; bill bluish horn-colour ; 

 tarsi and feet lead-colour. 



Total length, 9^ inches; bill, \^; wing, .5-| ; tail, 3-| ; tr.rsi, -f. 



Female like the male in every respect, except in having a black 

 instead of a red crown. 



Remark. — This species is nearly allied to the Picus leuconotus, 

 but is very distinct from that and every other member of the Picidce 

 I have yet seen ; and it is certainly not included in the great work 

 on this fi\mily of birds just completed by M. Malherbe. 



Gecinus Tancolo, Gould. 



Lores, a narrow band across the forehead, back part of the head, 

 nape, and a stripe down the cheeks black ; centre of the forehead 

 blood-red ; back dull green, passing into greenish yellow on the rump ; 

 shoulders and upper part of the wings didl wax-yellow ; primaries 

 olive-brown, with small elongated marks of buff on their external 

 margins ; internal webs of the greater coverts and primaries crossed 

 with distinct bars of greyish white ; throat and cheeks grey ; under 

 parts of the shoulders and axillaries alternately barred with greenish 

 white and blackish l)rown ; chest and under surface sordid green. 



'J'otal length, lOj- inches; bill, 1-| ; wing, 1|-; tail, 5^ ; tarsi, I-. 



Remark. — The species to which this bird is most nearly allied is 

 the Gecinus occipitalis of the Himalayas, from which however it is 

 conspicuously different. I have adopted its Chinese name for a 

 specific appellation. 



11* 



