. The birds of South Africa. Birds -- South Africa. PICID^ GEOCOLAPTES 127 The female resembles the male, but the malar region is not marked with red spots. Iris dark red according to Buckley. The young birds resemble the adults of their respective sexes, but are less brightly coloured, especially on the rump and under parts where the crimson is only a slight blush ; the under parts being further mottled and transversely varied with olive-dusky and huffy-white. Distribution.—This bird is confined to the dryer and more mountainous districts of the Colony and Natal, extending as far as the "
. The birds of South Africa. Birds -- South Africa. PICID^ GEOCOLAPTES 127 The female resembles the male, but the malar region is not marked with red spots. Iris dark red according to Buckley. The young birds resemble the adults of their respective sexes, but are less brightly coloured, especially on the rump and under parts where the crimson is only a slight blush ; the under parts being further mottled and transversely varied with olive-dusky and huffy-white. Distribution.—This bird is confined to the dryer and more mountainous districts of the Colony and Natal, extending as far as the " high veld " of the Transvaal. It has not hitherto been noticed north of the Limpopo. The following are recorded localities: Cape Colony—Cape, Stellenbosch, Paarl, Tulbagh, Worcester, and Caledon divisions. Fig. 42.—Geocolaptes olivaceus. x (S. A. Mus.), Colesberg (Layard), Windvogelberg in the Cathcart div. (Boulger); Natal—Maritzhurg (Bt. Mus.), Mooi river (Ayres), and Newcastle (Butler, Bt. Mus.); Orange Eiver Colony—Kroonstad (Symonds); Transvaal (Buckley). Habits.—This bird, unlike all other Woodpeckers, lives almost entirely on the ground ; it is usually to be found only among the rocky boulder-strewn and treeless hills, with which so large a portion of South Africa is covered ; here it is to be seen wandering about in small parties of from six to a dozen birds, except during the breeding season. Among the barren hills of the south-western part of the Colony it frequently associates with the rufous rock babbler {Chaetops frcnatus); at night it roosts in holes and crevices among rocks. Occasionally these birds perch on low branches of tree. Please note that these images are extracted from scanned page images that may have been digitally enhanced for readability - coloration and appearance of these illustrations may not perfectly resemble the original Stark, Arthur Cowell, d. 1899; Sclater, William Lutley, 1863-1944. London, R. H. Porter
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