140 
PICUS PILEATUS. 
materials being used but the soft chips of rotten ^ 
The female lays six large eggs of a snowy whiten® 
and, it is said, they generally raise two hroods in 
same season. 
This species is eighteen inches long, and tW®’’j;ii 
eight in extent ; the general colour is a dusky bro"'" ^ 
black ; the head is ornamented with a conical 
bright scarlet; two scarlet mustaches proceed 
tile lower mandible ; the chin is white ; the 
are covered with brownish white hair-like featn^j 
and this stripe of white passes from thence don'n 
side of the neck to the side.s, spreading under the 
the upper half of the wings are white, but concf'|,( 
bjr the black coverts ; the lower extremities of j 
wings are black, so that the white on the wing ji 
seen but when the bird is flying, at which time n.^ 
very prominent; the tail is tapering, the feathers •’‘ijii 
very convex above, and strong ; the legs are of a 1®“* 
gray colour, very short, scarcely half an inch ; the 
very long; the claws strong and semicircular, and 
pale blue ; the bill is fluted, sharply ridged, very ' ' 
at the base, bluish black above, below and at tlie 
bluish white ,- the eye is of a bright golden colour- - 
pupil black; the tongue, like those of its trib®!,)! 
worm-shaped, except near the tip, where for one-e>?!^ 
of an inch it is horny, pointed, and beset with barbs'll, 
The female has the forehead, and nearly to the 
of a light brown colour, and the mmstaches are d*’ 
instead of red. In both a line line of white scpn®‘# 
the red crest from the dusky lino that passes ove® 
eye. 
