in length ; tail short ; outer pair of tail-feathers longer than the
coverts ; first toe well- developed ; fourth (or reversible) toe a
little longer than third. Colour bay above more or less banded
with black, very dark brown beneath, a partial red collar in
males.
Only two species are known.
Key to the Species.
Larger : wing 575 ; back barred P. pyrrhotis, p. 50.
Smaller : wing 4*8 ; back not barred P. rubiginosus, p. 51.
The oldest name for this genus, Venilia (of which the type appears to have been V. porpliyromelas, Bp. Consp. i, p. 128) cannot be used, as it h;;d previously been employed in both Lepidoptera and Mollusca. Lcpocestes of Cabanis (1863) has been adopted by Hargitt, but Pyrrhopicus and Plinthopicus of Malherbe date from 1861, and I accept the first. Blythipicus of Bonaparte (1854) is generally regarded as too absurd a term to be admitted.
978. Pyrrhopicus pyrrhotis. The Red-eared Bay Woodpecker.
Picus pyrrhotis, Hodys. J. A. 8. B. vi, p. 108 (1837).
Gecinus pyrrhotis, Btyth, Cat. p. 59.
Blythipicus pyrrhotis, Bonap. Consp. Valuer. Zygod. p. 9; Hume, S. F. vii, p. 520 ; xi, p. 63 ; id. Cat. no. 176.
Venilia pyrrhotis, Horsf. fy M. Cat. ii, p. 666; Jerdon, B. I. i, p. 291 ; Godw.-Aust. J. A. S. B. xliii, pt. 2, p. 155 ; xlv, pt. 2, p. 70 ; Walden in BlytJis Birds Burm. p. 77 ; Inglis, S. F. v, p. 26 ; Hume fy Dav. S. F. vi, p. 142 ; Oates, B. B. ii, p. 39.
Lepocestes pyrrhotis, Hargitt, Cat. B. M. xviii, p. 380. Fi-ing, Lepcha.
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Fig. 14. Head of P. pyrrhotis.
Coloration. Male. Whole head brown, the forehead, sides of head, and chin paler ; feathers of forehead and crown pale-shafted ; a bright crimson half-collar behind the ear-coverts extending more or less completely round the nape ; all upper parts from the nape, with wing-feathers and coverts, barred rufous and black, the rufous bars broadest on the quills, back-feathers fringed with deeper red ;
