238 LETTERS TO THE EDITOR. 



cies. Jerdon's diagnosis seems to describe the male bird fairly 

 enough, and I can see nothing 1 to add to it, but he has not des- 

 cribed the female, which is slightly different as you will see by 

 the specimens forwarded. They arrive in Belgaum in large 

 numbers towards the end of May, or beginning of June, 

 in very bad plumage, and remain all through the rains, 

 leaving again about October, by which time they are in per- 

 fect plumage. 



Shortly after they leave the greyer-headed species, S. mala- 

 barica arrives, and is equally common all through the cold wea- 

 ther, but the latter species does not arrive until all of the 

 former has left. The habits and food of both are very similar, 

 as also the note, and they are both gregarious, occurring often 

 in large flocks. 



I fancy that the present species must, as Jerdon says, be con- 

 fined to the Malabar Coast, as I have never heard of it from 

 any other part of the country* extending to certain localities in 

 the adjoining country, like Belgaum in the rains. Mr. Vidal 

 has never met with it iu Ratnagiri. 



Let me now add a description of a remarkable albinoid speci- 

 men of l&Qbis — Chrysocolaptes strictus, Borsfield, (C. deles- 

 serti, Malh. abud Jerdon) which has been procured by Mr. 

 Laird on the Ghats, South-west of Belgaum. 



Description. — Top of head and crest crimson, the feathers 

 being pale or albescent at the base ; upper back and greater part 

 of the wings externally pale creamy buff, washed with pale golden 

 yellow ; lower part of back shiuing carmine red ; ear-coverts 

 pale brown ; primaries hair brown, spotted, as usual, on the 

 inner web with white, and having the whole, except the first two, 

 edged exteriorly, and broadly tipped with pale buff ; upper tail- 

 coverts and tail dark brown ; the lower surface, from chin to 

 vent, whitish buff, mixed with brown, the drops on the breast 

 beino- edged all round with reddish brown, and becoming larger 

 and more conspicuous on the sides of breast and flanks ; lower 

 tail-coverts whitish buff and brown mixed ; under surface of 

 wing hair brown, transversely barred with white. 



Owing to its being a bad specimen, the markings of the head, 

 neck, and throat are omitted. 



The crimson of the head, and- red of the back, are much paler 

 than in typical delesserti. E. Butler, Capt., 



Belgaum. 83rd Reqiment. 



[Note. — This issue wrongly headed (on page 1) Nos. 1 & 2, 

 is really Nos. 1, 2 and 3 of Vol. IX.] 



* Mr. Iver Macpherson has recently sent me both, a skin and eggo of this 

 species from Mysore. 



