Fam. PICID2E.
162. C am pe thera ca prico rn i. Capricorn Woodpecker.
As far as is yet known tbis species is only found in Soutb-Western
Africa, having been first obtained by the late Mr. Andersson in
Damara Land. He procured a male bird during bis first trip there,
and a female was afterwards obtained by him on the Cunene river.
These are the only specimens of his collecting that we have seen.
His notes are as follows " I never met with this species in Great
Namaqua Land ; and in Damara Land proper it is scarce. I do not
remember to have seen it much south of Omanbonde; but on my
journey to the Okavango I found it more frequent in the neighbourhood
of that river, though even there it was of comparatively rare
occurrence. It appears to be a migratory bird, as I never saw it
during the dry season.” Senor Anchieta has also met with the
species at Capangombe and in Mossamedes.
The following description is from one of Mr. Andersson s specimens
: the species may be told at a glance by its yellow rump slightly
spotted with black. Adult female— Above olive brown, barred
across with yellow and white, the bars of the latter colour being
mostly concealed, the shafts white or at least brighter yellow, forming
a distinct streak in the centre of the yellow bars; hinder neck
entirely ashy brown; rump and upper tail-coverts bright yellow,
with spots of brown in duplicate series or a single subterminal
one; tail dull olive, blackish at tip with bright yellow shafts, all the
feathers crossed with bands of dark brown, very indistinct on the
centre ones, but plainer on the outer feathers, which have about nine
dark bars, the interspaces fulvous brown shading off into whitish on
the outer web, the last small feather distinctly barred with white;
wings brown, strongly washed with olive-yellow, the least coverts
minutely, but the median and greater series distinctly barred with
white, the subterminal bar much plainer; primary-coverts brown
narrowly edged with olive-yellow; quills brown with golden shafts,
the primaries externally washed with olive yellow, and indistinctly
notched with paler yellow on the outer web, these notches lighter on
the secondaries, the innermost of which are barred across and broadly
tipped with white.; crown black, thickly clouded with round spots of
white, the hinder part of the crown and nape Grimson ; a loral streak
running from the base of nostril to below the eye, and another just
over the hind part of thé eye, white ; below the former a brown
streak is drawn from above ¡jthe base of the bill to the ear-coverts
which are also brown, inclining to yellowish white on their hinder
margin; feathers at base of lower mandible and cheeks yellowish
white; sides of neck also yellowish white, most of the feathers
spotted with black ; from the hinder ear-coverts down the sides of
the neck an indication of a blackish streak ; throat, brown ; rest of
under surface of body bright yellow, paling into sulphur yellow on
the abdomen and thighs, the latter being mottled with brown bases ;
sides of upper breast spotted or mottled with brown, most of the
feathers being of this colour and barred across with white or yellow ;
under wing-coverts yellow, the lower ones spotted with brown ;
quills brown below with yellow shafts and notched with yellow on
the inner webs ; " bill brown slate-colour ; legs and toes lead-
coloured; iris, claret-coloured” (Andersson). Total length, 8'5
inches; culmen, IT ; wing, 4‘95 ; tail, 3'4 ; tarsus, 09.
The male differs from the female by having the whole of the
crown crimson as well as a broad moustache of the same colour :
the brown stripe on the sides of the face and the brown throat are
absent.
Fig. Newton, Ibis, 1869, pi. ix.
163. Cam p e t h e r a b e n n e t t i. Bennett’s Woodpecker.
Like the preceding bird, Bennett’s Woodpecker differs much in
the sexes, the female having a blackish-brown throat, as in G. capri-
comi. The absence of the conspicuous yellow rump, however,
distinguishes it from that species, this part of the body being
banded across with yellow, as in all other South African Oampetherce.
Sir A. Smith, whose typical specimens are in the British Museum,
states that it inhabits the country about and beyond Kurrichaine.
Mr. Ayres obtained a pair near the river Limpopo, and Professor
Sundevall notes that Wahlberg procured several specimens in the
Transvaal, in about 24° south lat. Dr. Bxton fell in with the species
near Kanye in the Matabili country.
Adult male.—Above brown washed with olive-yellow and everywhere
barred across with yellow or white, the white bars predomi