1004 Mr. Blyth's Report for December Meeting, 1842. [No. 143. 



tiaries; underneath, the wings are dusky, barred with greenish- 

 white : tail blackish, its middle pair of feathers margined with ruddy- 

 green : bill dusky, laterally marked with yellowish except at tip; 

 " legs sap-green ; irides reddish-brown" (Jerdon). Common on the 

 Himalaya, and occurs rarely in other parts of India, including the 

 vicinity of Calcutta. 



Mr, Jerdon suggests that the P. chlorolophus of Vieillot may be 

 the young bird. In the Diet Class., I find a P. chloropus, Vieillot, 

 from Bengal, described, which is most probably a variety only of 

 the present species, in which case the name would take precedence. 

 It sufficiently agrees in general respects, except that the supercilium 

 and a subocular line are stated to be pointed with yellow, instead of 

 crimson, the primaries are said to be externally spotted with yellowish- 

 white, and the throat and fore-part of the neck to be greenish, which 

 last is fully applicable to many specimens. 



In Proc. Zool. Soc., for 1841, p. 31, Mr. Strickland indicates 

 three groups of Woodpeckers included under Btachylophus of 

 Swainson ; viz. the green Woodpeckers (Gecinus, Boie), — the crimson- 

 winged species (miniatus, puniceus, and mentalis), to which he 

 proposes to restrict Mr. Swainson's term Brachylophus, — and the short- 

 thumbed species, exemplified by the commonest of Indian Wood- 

 peckers (P. aurantius, Lin., v. Bengalensis, Gm., v. nuchalis, 

 Wagler, v. hemipodius, Swainson), which group he characterizes by 

 the appellation Brachypternus. This last division, however, still does 

 not appear to me to be rightly constituted, but comprises two very 

 distinct forms, namely, that of the rudimental-thumbed P. aurantius, 

 which I think should be placed with those Indian species ( Chrysono- 

 tus, Swainson, comprising P. tig a, Shorei, and Grantia,) wherein 

 the thumb entirely disappears, and in this case the name Brachypter- 

 nus would be no longer applicable; the other group having a well 

 developed fourth toe, and being altogether much more powerfully 

 formed, and highly typical or characteristic of the Woodpecker struc- 

 ture. To this last, which may be designated Chrysocolaptes, apper- 

 tain P. strictus, Horsfield, (v. sultaneus, Hodgson),* P. hcematribon, 



* This is generally, I believe, now considered to be P. Goensis, though the des- 

 cription of the latter by Daubenton and others certainly does not apply. — Referring to 

 Dr. Horsfield's catalogue of Javanese birds prefixed to his Volume of Researches, I 

 observe that he there refers his P. strictus to P. Goensis. 



