93 



GECINUS VAILLANTII. 



(ALGERIAN GREEN WOODPECKER.) 



Chlorqpicus vaillantii, Malh. Cat. rais. des Ois. de l'Alg. Mem. de la Soc. d'Hist. Nat. de Metz, 



p. 5 (1846). 

 Gecinus vaillantii, Bonap. Conspectus, p. 126. sp. 3 (1850). 

 Gecinus algirus, G. R. Gray, Cat. Brit. Mus. (1848). 



Picus algirus, Levaill. jun., Expl. Scient. de l'Alg., Atl. Ois. pi. 8 (1848-49). 

 Gecinus algirus (Levaill. jun.), Reich. Hand. spec. Orn., Scans, p. 348, pi. 4134 (1851). 

 Gecinus vaillantii (Malh.), Bonap. Conspectus, p. 126. sp. 3 (1850). 



Figures notabiles. 

 Levaill. jun., I. c. ; Reichenbach, I. c. ; Malherbe, Monogr. des Pic. pi. lxxxii. 



<3 ad. supra viridis, uropygio et supracaudalibus latissime aurantiacis : subtus griseo flavescens, uropygio et 

 subcaudalibus pallide brunneo transfasciatis : pileo laete coccineo : nuch& versus dorsum et collo versus 

 nucham aurantiacis : remigibus et ala spuria nigricanti-brunneis, in pogonio externo sordide brunnes- 

 cente albo notatis : cauda nigricante, pallide brunneo transfasciata et viridi lavata : facie laterali cinere&, 

 loris nigricantibus, vitta mystacali nigra : rostro nigricanti-corneo, mandibula flava, versus apicem 

 cornea : pedibus saturate plumbeis : iride cserulescenti-alba. 



2 ad. mari similis, sed pileo nigricanti-griseo, et nucha coccineiL 



Adult Male (Algiers, 1873). Upper parts green, fading into yellow towards the rump, which is bright 

 yellow shot with flame-colour ; crown and nape rich crimson, the base of the feathers, which shows very 

 little, being slate-grey ; lower part of the nape and sides of the neck at the back rich flame-yellow ; 

 quills dark brown, the outer web barred with yellowish white, secondaries with the outer web similar 

 to the back, and the inner web dark brown, indistinctly barred ; wing-coverts similar to the back ; 

 primary coverts greenish brown, barred with dull light brown ; tail dark brown, washed with greenish, 

 and indistinctly barred with paler brown; sides of the face, region round and above the eye and 

 auriculars slate-grey ; lores blackish ; moustachial stripe black ; chin and upper part of the throat pale 

 greyish ; sides of the neck pale apple-green, or yellowish green ; underparts pale greenish grey, on the 

 lower part of the abdomen and on the under tail-coverts indistinctly barred with brown ; under wing- 

 coverts white, barred with dark brown ; bill dark lead-grey, blackish at the point, the under mandible 

 yellowish at the base and to nearly two thirds of its length ; legs dark grey ; iris bluish white. Total 

 length 11-8 inches, culmen 1-6, wing 61, tail 4 - 05, tarsus 1 - 1. 



Adult Female. Similar to the male, having also a black moustachial stripe ; but the crown is slate-grey, the 

 feathers being blackish grey towards the tip, and the nape only crimson; nor are the sides of the neck 

 near the nape flame-yellow, but grey, washed with greenish yellow ; the underparts are almost uniform 

 greenish grey, having very indistinct bars on the under tail-coverts. 



Obs. Of all the Green Woodpeckers, this bird most closely resembles G. sharpei, but is clearly distinct 



3y2 



