270 



BIRDS. 



[Chap. VIIL 



Picus gymnophthalmus. Layard's wood- 

 pecker. The smallest of the species, 

 was discovered near Colombo, amongst 

 jak-trees. 



Brachypternus Ceylonus. The Ceylon 

 woodpecker, is found in abundance near 

 Neuera-ellia. 



Brachypternus rubescens. The red wood- 

 pecker. 



Centropus chlororhynchus. The yellow- 

 billed cuckoo, was detected by Mr. 

 Layard in dense jungle near Colombo 

 and Avisavelle. 



Phcenicophaus pyrrhocephalus. The mal- 

 koha, is confined to the southern high- 

 lands. 



Treron Pompadoura. The Pompadour 

 pigeon. " The Prince of Canino has 

 shown that this is a totally distinct bird 

 from Tr. flavogularis, with which it was 

 confounded : it is much smaller, with the 

 quantity of maroon colour on the mantle 

 greatly reduced."— Paper by Mr. Blyth, 

 Mag. Nat. Hist. p. 514 : 1857. 



Carpophaga Torringtonise. Lady Tor- 

 rington's pigeon ; a very handsome 

 pigeon discovered in the highlands by 

 Dr. Kelaart. It flies high in long 

 sweeps, and makes its nest on the loft- 



iest trees. Mr. Blyth is of opinion that 

 it is no more than a local race, barely 

 separable from C. Elphinstonii of the 

 Nilgiris and Malabar coast. 



Carpophaga pusilla. The little-hill dove, 

 a migratory species found by Mr. Layard 

 in the mountain zone, only appearing 

 with the ripened fruit of the teak, ban- 

 yan, &c, on which they feed. 



Gallus Lafayetti. The Ceylon jungle 

 fowl. The female of this handsome 

 bird was figured by Mr. Gray (///. Ind. 

 Zool.) under the name of G. Stanleyi. 

 The cock bird had long been lost to 

 naturalists, until a specimen was for- 

 warded by Dr. Templeton to Mr. Blyth, 

 who at once recognised it as the long- 

 looked-for male of Mr. Gray's recently 

 described female. It is abundant in all 

 the uncultivated portions of Ceylon ; 

 coming out into the open spaces to feed 

 in the mornings and evenings. Mr. 

 Blyth states that there can be no doubt 

 that Hardwicke's published figure refers 

 to the hen of this species, long after, 

 wards termed G. Lafayetti. 



Galloperdix bicalcaratus. Not uncom- 

 mon in suitable situations. 



