BIRDS OF TENASSEMM. 131 



The females of sordidus and concretus are inseparable. 



Personally I doubt the distinctness of the two species, though 

 the Javan birds may run smaller, and if identical all will stand 

 as concretus. 



165 ter.— Meiglyptes tristis, Horsf. (21). 



Hankachin ; Bankasoon. 



Confined to the extreme south of the province, and there not 

 rare. 



[This species is usually found in dense forest, not coming 

 out to clearing-s and open tree jungle. It goes about generally 

 in pairs, hunting the branches and trunks of trees like Picus, 

 but never descending to the ground as Gecinus and others 

 of that sub-group so often do. None of these Meiglyptes have 

 the strongly scented tuft in the middle of the back that is 

 found alike in the Malayan, Burmese, and South Indian Hemi- 

 cerci. Though I have watched these closely (they are not shy). 

 I never noticed anything peculiar in the habits of any of the 

 species of Meiglyptes. — W. D.] 



The following are dimensions, &c, of this species recorded 

 in the flesh : — 



Males.— Length, 6'82 to 712 ; expanse, 12-5 to 1272 ; tail, 

 2-12 to 2-4; wing, 3-75 to 4*05 ; tarsus, 065 to 07 ; bill from 

 gape, 0*9 to l'O; weight, 1*5 to T75 ozs. 



Females. — Length, 6*75 to 6'85 ; expanse, 1235 to 12*85 ; 

 tail, 2-12 to 2-4; wing, 3-85 to 4-0; tarsus, 0*65 to 0'75 ; bill 

 from gape, 9; weight, l - 5 ozs. 



The legs and feet dirty, dingy, or glaucous green ; claws plum- 

 bous ; bill black ; edge of eyelids black ; irides, in about half 

 the specimens of each sex, deep brown, in the other half dull 

 red. 



Lores, feathers immediately round eye, the point of the chin, 

 and the base of the lower mandible, brownish buff. In the male 

 a patch of crimson at the base of the lower mandible on either 

 side ; the rest of the head and neck all round white to buffy 

 white or buff, every where very narrowly and closely barred 

 with black or deep brown ; breast similar, but the bars rather 

 broader and wider apart ; flanks and sides of abdomen and 

 lower tail-coverts similar, but the bars much broader and wider 

 apart ; middle of abdomen the barrings more obsolete and con- 

 fused, in many specimens dark brown, spotted with buff; wing- 

 lining and axillaries creamy buff, as are also the middle of the 

 back and the rump ; interscapulary region, wings and tail black, 

 barred with buff or buffy white, in some specimens nearly pure 

 white on the tail and towards the tips of the secondaries ; the 

 bars are more or less imperfect on both quills and rectrices, 



