MICROPTERNUS GULARIS. 
201 
1877) gives the wings of a series taken at random from the “ Mlghiris, Ceylon and Travancore as 4-72 4-85 
, \ D r a d .~i a .ft 4.7Q 4-85 4-8 4'7 all but three of these dimensions exceed the maximum of Ceylon birds. 
He'remarto that the' tail-bauds 'are —hr. I Hat. the took tip 0-6 to 0-8 i.d, 
in depth is not included in this number ; and if so, most Indian birds must have an extra band on the caudal 
feathers ’ Lord Tweeddale records an instance of a Malabar specimen having the crimson points quite round 
the eye 8 ; tiffs appears to be a characteristic distinction of M. badiosus from Borneo. Ceylonese females are quite 
Portaproo^iwo^oro to it, tomber, so oloooly Ulri » th»; the Mere., 
re, emblf.ee to o.e ..other, b.t yet po»e,, cert.i. .ieo points ot distort... pee., her to type, fr ““ “7*" 
which serve to ..sign them to specific M. yW-P iron Se.g.l » . h* *»<«• ^ ^ 
Itis paler o. the head, and ha, the white-margined feather, of the throat co.coloro.s w th the fore neck ,.d chert. 
M brachyurus (or M. badius), according to Mr. Hume, has the white-tipped throat-feathers banded with dark 
b own likeT mlaris- but they extend on to the cheeks, whereas in the latter they do not surmount the rami of 
the lower mandible ; the head is paler than in M. phaioceps, and the crimson dotting of the face the same m extent, 
or not extending above the angle of the eye: this species inhabits Java and to it Mr Hum " l "/ i eSt ^ bl ^ t f this 
Tenasserim. The fourth species (M. badiosus) differs solely m the red points extending round the eye, but 
would seem to be the case, in isolated instances, with some individuals from Malabar. 
Distribution .- This bird has hitherto been considered rare in Ceylon, and likewise of local distribution 
It is, however, widely distributed, for I have met with it in all my wanderings through the low ' countay. I 
is less common, I think, in the north than elsewhere; but yet I have seen it m many parts o t^ for st- al 
country from Tamblegam to the neighbourhood of Anaradjapura. It is found within four miles of Colombo, 
■md is pretty evenly diffused throughout the Western Province : in the south I have met with it chiefly near 
the Gindurah and in the south-east found it at Tissa Maha Rama and other places; it is not —on in 
parts of the “ Park” country, and I have met with it near Nilgalla; but m all these districts of the eastern 
parts the tQ 1)e ed over un i ess the collector be well on the alert, for it is found 
ZX the wilder parts of the forest, where the jtogleis thin a.d scattered or interspersed with open glades 
I. the Seven Korales it is pretty common, and Mr. Parker writes me that ta8 
occurs in the valley of Dumbara; but I do not know that it ascends much higher than that. 
seen it in Haputale up to about 2000 feet. In the peninsula of India it is found “in the forests of Malabar, 
both above and below the Ghats, from the extreme south to north latitude 16°. At the latter ; extreme it is 
rarer than further so.tl. Mr. Pairbank records it from Khand.la »d Mahabaleshwar, where . mhah.ts the 
western slopes of the hffl-rsnges. Further north than this 1 do not flunk ,t has been met w.th It .s i 
imagine, more common 0 . the Nilghiri, and the adjacent Malabar coast than m the extreme south, 
not find it recorded either from the Travancore or Palani hills. 
Habits .— The Bay Woodpecker is an active and restless bird, astir the first thing in the morning, making 
its loud note, queemp-queep, heard before many other birds have begun to think about their morning ram es . 
It is found in thick forest, in compounds filled with cocoanut, bread-fruit, and jack trees, at the borders 
jungle-begirt paddy-fields, and in detached woods. It usually mounts to the top of a tree and selecting some 
dead branch, taps away at it, diligently listening in the intervals until its luckless prey is I m y 
be approached easily when thus engaged, and when disturbed does not fly far. It goes more on the g ound I 
think, than tlic last species, for I have several times surprised a pair breaking up dried cattle oidme , and on 
occasion, in the north of Ceylon, came on one busily attacking a stream of black ants as they filed m close or ei, 
a dozen abreast, across a jungle-path. This insect, the short black ant {Formica exmdaml), forms the Bay 
Woodpecker’s favourite food in the forest districts ; it attacks the large black pendent nests which it constructs 
and entirely consumes its numerous inhabitants. Mr. Parker writes me that he once descried an indivi ua 
■ • from a round hole in a large nest, and found, on examining it, that the interior was completely 
! 11()Wed out When flushed from the ground it rises with a loud flutter to the nearest tree, and often flies 
Lrloulv from branch to branch, and so decamps to another place of safety. I have more than once found its 
breast smeared and discoloured with some viscous substance, which must be the gum from the bark of cer am 
trees Its flight is very jerky and not swift, being performed with alternate beating and closing of the wing . 
I am unable to furnish any information concerning this bird’s nesting. 
U D 
