40 
BIRDS OF BRITISH BURMAH, 
435. VENILIA PORPHYROMELAS. 
THE CRIMSON-NECKED MAROON WOODPECKER. 
Picus porphyromelas, Boie*, Brief e geschr. aus Ostind. p. 143 Sundev. Consp. Av. 
Pic. p. 47. Hemicircus rubiginosus, Sivains. Birds W. Afr. ii. p. 150. 
Celeopicus porphyromelas, MaUi. Mon. Pic. ii. p. 39, pi. xlix. fig. 1-3. 
Lepocestes porphyromelas, Salmd. JJcc. Born. p. 48. Venilia porphyro- 
melas, Hume ^ Dav. S. F. vi. p. 143. Blythipicus porphyromelas, Humey 
S. F. vii. p. 520, viii. p. 88. 
Description. — Male. The whole head, chin and throat brown^ darker 
on the crown and nape ; a large patch on each side the nape bright crim- 
son ; back and scapulars maroon, the shafts whitish ; rump and upper tail- 
coverts brown_, suflPused with maroon and obscurely banded with brownish 
white j tail blacky narrowly banded with brownish white ; upper wing- 
coverts maroon^ the centres of the feathers more or less brown narrowly 
and indistinctly barred with whitish ; wings and primary-coverts dark 
brown with pale rufescent bars^ the outer webs suffused with maroon ; fore 
neck^ breast and all the lower plumage blackish brown tinged with choco- 
late or rufous, and with a trace of maroon on the sides of the body ; under 
tail-coverts very indistinctly barred with paler brown. Some specimens 
have a tinge of red on the cheeks. 
The female differs in wanting the crimson patches on the sides of the 
nape. 
Legs and feet dark, varying in shade very much, generally somewhat 
purplish or purplish brown, sometimes greyish purple, or very dark greyish 
or greenish brown ; the irides are red, crimson^ scarlet_, or even salmon- 
pink ; the orbital skin varies much like the legs and feet, dark purplish 
grey, dark greyish brown or brownish green to almost black ; the bill is 
chrome -yellow, more or less strongly tinged with green towards the base. 
(Davison.) 
Length 9 inches^ tail 3, wing 5, tarsus -9, bill from gape 1-6. The 
female is of much the same size. 
Mr. Davison procured the Crimson-necked Maroon Woodpecker in the 
southern portion of Tenasserim from Bopyin down to Malewoon, where he 
states it was very common. My men also found it common at Malewoon. 
It extends down the Malay peninsula^ and is found in the islands of 
Sumatra and Borneo. 
This species, according to Mr. Davison, frequents the undergrowth and 
smaller trees of the evergreen forests. 
* I have been unaWe to find this reference. Count Salvadori assigns to it the date of 1832, 
