192 Notices and Descriptions of various new ^No. 159. 



Picus ( Gecinus) malaccensis, Lath., founded on le Pic de Malacca 

 of Sonnerat, may be described anew with advantage from specimens 

 presented to the Society from Malacca. It is allied in size and form to 

 P. chloropus (v. nipalensis), and in plumage also to the species of Bra- 

 chy tophus, but differs very decidedly from the latter in the shape of 

 its bill, which is larger and more that of a typical Gecinus than the 

 Dendrobates-Wke beak of P. chloropus ; it has also the yellow nuchal 

 crest less developed than in the latter, and resembling that of Bra- 

 chylophus puniceus. General colour dingy green, brightest on the 

 back, where more or less tinged with yellow, especially on the rump ; 

 beneath inclining to dusky, barred with dull white on the flanks, but 

 the latter less predominating than in P. chloropus : wings crimson, 

 with dusky primaries, and green tips to the longest tertiaries : tail 

 black. The male has the whole top of the head, lengthened occipital 

 feathers, and moustaches, crimson ; while the female has the coronal 

 feathers green, tipped only with crimson, and merely the long occipi- 

 tal feathers as in the male, below which those of the nape are yellow in 

 both sexes. Bill dusky above, the lower mandible yellow ; and feet 

 have apparently been green. Length ten inches, or nearly so ; of wing 

 four and three-quarters to five inches; and tail three and a half to 

 three and three-quarters ; bill to forehead an inch and a quarter. From 

 Malacca. 



Subg. Gecinulus, nobis. This is a third form of three-toed Wood- 

 pecker (in addition to Picoides, Lacep., of northern climates, and Tiga y 

 Kaup, v. Chrysonotus, Sw., of south-eastern Asia and its islands), most 

 nearly allied to Gecinus, from which it differs in the shortness and la- 

 teral compression of its beak, and the small size of the feet, which have 

 besides no inner fourth toe. As a peculiar form of Woodpecker, it is 

 very distinct, though represented only (so far as I am at present aware,) 

 by 



P. (Gee.) Grantia* McClelland and Horsfield, P. Z. S. 1839, 

 p. 165. Length nine inches and a half, or ten inches; of wing five 

 inches ; and tail three and three-quarters : bill to frontal bone an inch 

 and one-eighth ; and spread of foot an inch and three-quarters. Colour 

 somewhat brownish red above, the secondaries and tertiaries having 

 three light red bars, and the greenish-dusky primaries four or five 

 yellowish ones : tail similarly banded ; breast and under parts dusky- 



* Quaere, Grantii, or Granti ? 



