THE BIRDS OF SINGATORE ISLAND 
The iris is greyish or dirty pink, the beak slaty in colour 
and the feet greyish- green. 
Total length about 5 inches, wing approximately 2f inches. 
Distribution ; —Siam and Cochin-China through the Malay 
Peninsula to Sumatra* Java and Borneo. 
Siaiits in Singapore : — This is certainly the most frequently 
seen of the local woodpeckers. It may sometimes be observed 
on the trees in the Cathedral grounds, and in the Botanic 
Gardens it is not uncommon, Tn the Economic Gardens in 
Cluny Road we have often seen it climbing the larg^er trees. 
f ield Notes \ —Thh is a rather shy little bird which, with 
its small size and inconspicuous type of coloration, makes it 
rather difficult of ohser^^ation. We have nsnally seen it creep- 
ing about the tnink, or the bous-hs, of larj^e heavily foila^ed 
trees and have noticed it, as often as not, entirely by chance. 
From the office at the Raffles Museum we hav^e seen birds 
in the top-most branches of the larg^er trees in the compound. 
By examining^ all the large trees in the Economic Gardens 
with binoculars one would he almost certain to locate one of 
these woodpeckers, 
Other Woodpeckers 
The Malayan black woodpecker {Thriponax jat^ertsis 
javensis), one of the very largest of local species, is immistake- 
able in appearance, the male being black with a white belly and 
bright red head. We have never seen one in Singapore and 
the bird cannot be common here; but Mr. Ridley mentions 
that in the Botanic Gardens a pair once remained for some 
time in a large Jelutong tree. This bird is not uncommon on 
the Dutch Islands lying to the south and within sight of Singa- 
pore so it may still be expected to visit us occasionally. 
The crimson- winged green woodpecker (Pints puniceuT 
contiucnt'fs) is very tike the banded red woodpecker in size 
and general appearance but it has the underparts green and not 
conspicuously barred as in that species, 
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