between the European Picus major and the P. syriacus of Hemprich and Ehrenberg. It differs 

 in the arrangement of the colours of the neck-plumage very slightly from the western bird, but 

 still varies in the direction of the eastern." Dr. Tristram does not say wherein the variation of 

 the Turkish bird consists ; but we believe that he has a great deal of reason in what he says. 

 The great distinction between P. syriacus and P. major lies in the possession by the former bird 

 of a continuous line of white from the base of the bill on to the sides of the neck ; in P. major 

 this white band is crossed just behind the ear by a line of black which joins the moustache to 

 the crown. Another striking difference between the two species lies in the tail, P. syriacus 

 having only very few spots of white on the two outer rectrices, whereas in P. major nearly the 

 apical half of the three outer feathers is white with a few irregular black markings. The birds 

 sent by Mr. Eobson seem to have more white on the tail, are more mealy in plumage, and have 

 a narrower line of black connecting the moustache with the crown ; still they do not present 

 sufficient differences to entitle them to hold even subspecific rank. 



In Algeria the place of P. major is taken by an allied species, P. numidicus, which is cer- 

 tainly clearly characterized, though Professor Sundevall considers it to be only a subspecies of the 

 former bird. It has a very distinct red band across the breast both in the old and young males. 

 We may here mention that occasionally a red feather may be seen on the breast of both old and 

 young of P. major, but very feebly developed, and constituting nothing more than a tinge. In 

 Palestine and Syria it is represented by P. syriacus, another species, P. feliciai, according to 

 Malherbe, occupying the same area ; Professor Sundevall believes these two birds to be the same 

 species ; but Mr. G. R. Gray places them in different sections of the genus, putting P. syriacus 

 along with P. medius and P. scindeanus. In Persia another variation in form takes place, the 

 bird from this locality being Picus khan, DefiL, and in Central Asia another form occurs, having 

 been lately separated by Count Salvadori as P. leucopterus. In the Himalayas it is replaced by 

 P. himalayensis, and so on to China, where four species, named by Malherbe respectively P. gouldii, 

 P. mandarinus, P. cabanisi, and P. suciani, are said to take the place of P. major. Concerning 

 these different forms Mr. Swinhoe writes as follows : — " While on the subject of Woodpeckers, I 

 should like to make a few remarks on the eastern races or so-called species of the Picus major 

 group — namely, Pici mandarinus, luciani, gouldii, and cabanisi of Malherbe's Monograph. The 

 form of this bird found in the North-west Himalayas, and described by Jardine and Selby as 

 P. himalayanus, and Hodgson's species, P. majoroides, from the south-west Himalayas, both 

 appear to have the red breast-spot which, in the adult dress, adorns the breast of the Chinese 

 bird. I will here add some remarks on our Chinese species, made after a careful comparison of 

 my series from China with the plates and descriptions in M. Malherbe's work." 



" Picus mandarinus, Malherbe. — P. major, L., apud Von Schrenk and Middendorff." 

 " M. Malherbe has described and figured four species of true Picus from China ; of the exact 

 locality of one of these only he speaks with confidence, his type of P. mandarinus from 

 Whampoa, in the Museum at Berlin. I have in my collection a specimen from Whampoa, 

 three from Canton, three from Foochow, and one from Pekin. Prom Whampoa and Canton 

 I have two skins which answer to the brown underplumage of his P. luciani, but have broader 

 and more black bands on the lateral rectrices. I have two from Canton answering to P. man- 

 darinus, but with a less bright red spot on the breast. My three birds from Foochow correspond 



