Yellow-bellied Bucco. 



Bucco Sub- sulphur eus, Fraser, Proc. Zool. Soc. 1843, p. 3. 



In the plate is introduced a most beautiful specimen of the Coral Plant of Dukhun, with the 

 male and female flowers very carefully delineated, copied from one of Colonel Sykes' drawings. 

 "It is the Iatropha multifield of the Dictionaries, and is closely allied but is not of the genus 

 latropha. Flowers in a cyme ; pedicles and flowers, crimson ; each cyme seldom produces more 

 than two capsules, which appear generally in the central fork of the cyme. Flowers during the 

 whole rains." 



This bird is like a Nuthatch in its habits, being capable of not only running up the trunk of a 

 tree with great agility, but of descending also, head downwards, with equal or even more facility, 

 an act which the Woodpecker is, I believe, unable to perform. The tail is short and very soft, 

 and is not used in climbing. Like our European Sitta, the downward position seems the most 

 easy and natural. Of the difference of sexes, if any, I am unable to speak, but I have reason to 

 believe the young of this genus differ considerably from the adult. The Buccos are stupid and 

 inactive ; I have shot three or four from the same tree, one after the other, without disturbing 

 the rest. 



Habitat, Clarence, Fernando Po, Western Africa. 



The upper surface of the head and body is black; superciliary stripe, and one across the 

 forehead, which passes under the eye and along the cheek, and the whole of the under surface, 

 sulphureous; space between the superciliary and cheek stripes, black; upper wing and tail 

 coverts, secondaries and tail, margined with yellow ; under wing-coverts, yellowish white ; irides, 

 hazel; bill, black; legs, deep lead colour. 



Total length, three inches and three-quarters. 



