BARBETS.
Bill stout and strong; nostrils at base of bill and visible from above, partly covered by long stiff bristles; wings moderate; first primary very short; tail short and nearly square; rectrices ten; toes four, the outer one reversed, middle and inner ones united for their basal joints.
Suborder CAPITONES.
Characters same as those given for the Order.
Family CAPITONIDÆ.
Characters same as those given for the Order.
Genus XANTHOLÆMA Bonaparte, 1854.
Bristles about bill reaching beyond its tip; a small bunch of shorter bristles on chin; a narrow circle of bare skin around eye; prevailing color green with patches of red and yellow; length, about 150 mm. Individuals of the Philippine species are solitary and may be observed perched in dead trees where they remain for an hour or more at a time, repeating a single monotonous note. Eggs three or four, pure white; deposited in a hole excavated in a limb of a tree.