294 . BIRDS OF INDIA. 



178. Micropternus phaioceps, Blyth. 



J. A. S., XIY., 195 and 551~BLYTn, Cat. 277— Horsf., Cat. 

 974 — Phaiopicus Blytliii, Malh. — Ph. rufonotus, Bonap. — P. 

 rufus, apud Gray— Hardw., 111. Ind. Zool., pi. 29, f. 2.— Meigl. 

 badius, and M. bracliyurus, apud Hodgson. 



The Bengal Rufous Woodpecker. 



Descr. — Plumage dark chesnut-bay, with black bands; head 

 brown above, paling posteriorly, the feathers faintly streaked, and 

 gradually merged on the hind-neck in the bay colour of the back ; 

 chin, cheeks, and throat, pale, the feathers of this last concolorous 

 with the body, or nearly so, merely having lighter lateral margins ; 

 neck in front, breast and upper part of abdomen, bright chesnut-bay ; 

 from the middle of the abdomen the same, but paler, and with 

 dusky cross-bands. 



Length 9i inches ; wing 4| to 5 ; tail 2f ; bill at front 1 ; foot 2^. 



This species of Woodpecker is found in Kumaon, Nepal, and 

 Sikhim, in Lower Bengal, and in some of the forests of Central 

 India. I procured it in the Bustar jungle. South-east of Nagpore. 

 It is not common in Sikhim, and keeps to the warm valleys, from 

 1,500 to 3,000 ft. elevation. It extends into Assam and Burmah. 

 Tytlcr states that, in Dacca, it replaces the Brachyptejfnus auran- 

 tiiis of Bengal, being the common Woodpecker of the place. 



179. Micropternus gularis, Jerdon. 



Jerdon, 2nd Suppl., Cat. 214 — P. badius, apud Jerdon, 

 Cat. 214. — Blyth, Cat. 278 — Phaiopicus Jerdoni, Malherbe. 

 The Madras Rufous Woodpecker. 



Descr. — Head dusky-brown ; the rest of body rufous-bay, with 

 cross-bars of dusky black ; a crimson cheek-stripe in the male ; 

 chin, throat, lower side of cheeks, dark olive-brown ; the feathers 

 edged with white, giving a more mottled appearance than in tlie 

 last species ; lower parts unspotted bay ; under tail-coverts faintly 

 barred with'dusky. 



Bill blackish ; legs slaty ; irides brown ; orbitar skin slaty. 



Length 7 to 9 inches ; wing ^f^ ; tail 2| to 3 ; bill at front /^ ; 

 foot 2. 



