icaeum concolor_) and
Tickell's flower-pecker (_D. erythrorhynchus_). The latter is the
more numerous. Both are olive-green birds, paler below than above.
Tickell's species has the bill yellow: in the other the beak is
lavender blue.

THE PICIDAE OR WOODPECKER FAMILY

Woodpeckers are birds that feed exclusively on insects, which they
pick off the trunks of trees. They move about over the bark with great
address. Whether progressing upwards, downwards, or sideways, the
head is always pointed upwards.

For some reason or other there is a paucity of woodpeckers on the
Nilgiris. The Indian Empire can boast of no fewer than fifty-four
species; of these only six patronise the Nilgiris, and but two appear
to ascend higher than 5000 feet. The only woodpecker that I have
noticed in the vicinity of Coonoor is Tickell's golden-backed
woodpecker (_Chrysocolaptes gutticristatus_). I apologise for the
name; fortunately the bird never has to sign it in full. This
woodpecker is a magnificent bird, over a foot in length, being 1-1/2
inch longer than the golden-backed species found in Madras itself.
The cock has a crimson crest, the sides of the head and neck and the
under parts are white, relieved by black streaks that run
longitudinally. The back and wings appear golden olive in the shade,
and when the sun shines on them they become a beautiful coppery red.
The lower part of the back is crimson. The tail is black. The hen
differs from the cock in having the crest black. When these birds
fly, their wings make much noise. The species utters a high-pitched
but somewhat faint screaming note.

THE CAPITONIDAE OR BARBET FAMILY

Barbets are tree-haunting birds characterised by massive bills. They
have loud calls of two or three notes, which they repeat with much
persistence. They nestle in trees, themselves excavating the nest
cavity. The entrance to the nest is invariably marked by a neat round
hole, a little larger than a rupee, in the trunk or a branch of a
tree. The coppersmith is the most familiar member of the clan. It
does not occur on the Nilgiris, but a near relative is to be numbered
among the commonest birds of those hills, being found in every wood
and in almost every garden. This bird is fully as vociferous as the
coppersmith, but instead of crying, _tonk-tonk-tonk_, it suddenly
bursts into a kind of hoarse laugh, and then settles down to a steady
_kutur-kutur-kutur_, which resounds throughout the hillside. This
call