p. 174 ; Hume, Cat. no. 224 ; Gadow, Cat. B. M. ix, p. 103 ; Oates,
B. B. i, p. 330 ; Barnes, Birds Bom. p. 135 ; Hume, 8. F. xi, p. 80.
Coloration. Male. Upper plumage olive-green, the feathers of
the forehead and crown centred with dark brown ; lesser wing-
coverts like the back ; greater coverts and the wings brown, edged
with olive-green; tail blackish, tipped with dull white and obsoletely
margined with olive-green ; lores whitish ; sides of the head ashy
brown ; a short moustachial streak dark brown ; chin and throat
dull white ; remainder of lower plumage deep yellow ; a tuft of
feathers on each side the breast chrome-yellow.
Female. Differs in wanting the pectoral chrome-yellow tufts.
Bill above brown, below plumbeous ; iris dark brown ; legs
plumbeous ; claws horn-colour.
Length 6-3; tail 1*6 ; wing 2'6 ; tarsus *65 ; bill from gape 1*5.
Distribution. The Western Grhats of India from the Palni hills
to about the latitude of Belgauru, up to about 5500 feet ; the
extreme eastern part of Assam ; Cachar ; Tipperah ; Sylhet ;
Manipur; Chittagong; Arrakan; Pegu and the whole of Tenas-
serim, extending down the Malay peninsula to the islands.
Habits, 6fc. The nest of this species has not yet been found
within Indian limits, but Bernstein, who procured it elsewhere,
describes it as being oval and attached to the underside of a large
leaf which forms the back wall of the nest.
910. Arachnothera chrysogenys. The Yellow-eared Spider-
hunter.
Nectarinia chrysogenys, Temm. PI Col. pi. 388, fig. i (1826).
Arachnothera chrysogenys (Temm.), Blyth, Cat. pp. 222, 327 ; Horsf.
$ M. Cat. ii, p. 729; Hume, S. F. iii, p. 85; Hume $ Dav. S. F.
vi, p. 177 ; Shelley, Mon. Nect. pp. xlix, Ii, 365, pi. 117 ; Hume,
Cat. no. 224 ter ; Oates, B. B. i, p. 331 ; Gadow, Cat. B. M. ix, p. 108.
Coloration. Upper plumage dull olive-green, the feathers of the
head dark-centred ; coverts and quills dark brown, broadly edged
with the colour of the back ; tail olive-green ; feathers on the edge
of the upper eyelid and a bunch of feathers springing from near
the angle of the gape bright yellow ; ear-coverts and sides of neck
like the back ; cheeks, chin, throat, and upper breast dull brownish
green, the centres of the feathers darker ; lower breast, abdomen,
vent, and under tail-coverts yellow ; sides of the body yellow,
tinged with dusky ; under wing-coverts and axillaries pale yellow.
372
Legs and feet fleshy white ; the bill darker horny brown ; the
edges of both mandibles to within *6 of tip dirty yellow ; gape
fleshy white ; irides brown (Davisori).
Length 7; tail 1'7 ; wing 3'5; tarsus -75; bill from gape 1-8.
Distribution. Tenasserim south of Mergui, extending down the
Malay peninsula to Sumatra, Java, and Borneo.
AraclmotJiera flavigastra is a closely allied species inhabiting the
Malay peninsula, and is likely to occur in Tenasserim. It may be
recognized by its larger size, by the eye being entirely surrounded
by yellow, and by its stouter and more flattened bill.
ArachnotJiera crassirostris (Eeichb.) occurs in the Malay penin-
sula, and is not unlikely to be found in Tenasserim. This species
resembles Arachnothera longirostris very closely, but may be known
by its much broader and rounder bill and by the chin and throat
being of the same colour as the breast.
The following species, on being critically examined, proves to be
no Sun-bird. I failed to discover this, however, till I was working
the Nectariniidce^ with which it has always been associated.
My reasons for excluding this bird from the Nectariniidce are
threefold :
It has no serrations on the margins of the mandibles, a character
found in all the Sun-birds.
It has, according to Wallace (Ibis, 1870, p. 49), a tongue which
is " short, triangular, horny at the tip, and entire."
It has habits which resemble those of no other species of Sim-
bird.
I know the bird well in life, but prefer to quote what Davison
says on this point :
" In its habits this species differs conspicuously from all its con-
geners, reminding one very much of the White-eyed Tit (Zosterops
palpebrosus) or again of Timalia (Cyanodermd) erythroptera. Except
perhaps during the breeding-season, it goes about in small parties
of from five to ten in amongst the undergrowth, or the skirts of
the forest, or in scrtib-juugle, hunting amongst the foliage and
roots of the trees for insects, on which it chiefly subsists, and keep-
ing up the while an incessant twittering.
" Of other species of Sun-birds a dozen, or even at times fifty,
may be seen about a single tree ; but in the case of these there is
never any concerted action between more than a single pair. They
do not go about in flocks, though many individuals may happen
to collect in a single place, but the present species, when not
breeding, is almost always seen in flocks working together in concert,
invariably moving away from one place to another at the same
time and hunting, some high and some low, just as a mob of our
Titmice on the Himalayas may often be seen doing."
The nestling bird resembles the female, and therefore the proper
position of this species appears to be among the Crateropodidce in
the subfamily Liotrichince, probably near Myzornis (Vol. i, p. 233).
CHALCOPABIA. 373
Genus CHALCOPARIA, Cabanis, 1850.
The single species of this genus has the bill shorter than the
head, entire, without any serrations on the margins of the mandibles ;
the cuJmen very slightly curved, the lower mandible straight; the
nctal bristles weak ; the tarsus short and scutellated ; the tail of
moderate length, slightlyrounded,and consisting of twelve feathers ;
the wing moderate, with ten primaries, the first of which is small.
The sexes are of different colours and the upper plumage of the
male is metallic.
Fig. 102. Head of C. ph&nicotis.
911. Chalcoparia phcenicotis. The Ruby-Cheek.
Motacilla singaleusis, Gmel. Syst. Nat. i, p. 9G4 (1788).
Nectarinia phoenicotis, Temm. PI. Col. pi. 108. fig. 1 (1824), pi. 388,
fig. 2; myth, Orf.p.225.
Chalcoparia phoenicotis ( Temm.'), Horsf. 8f M. Cat. ii, p. 747 ; Oates,
S. F. v, p. 147 ; Oates in Hume's N. $ E. 2nd ed. u, p. 269.
Chalcoparia singaleusis (Gmel.'), Wold. Ibis, 1870, p. 48; Hume Sf
Dav. S. F. vi, p. 189 ; Hume, Cat. no. 233 sex.
Chalcoparia ciiigalensis (Gmel.'), Anders. Yunnan Exped.,Aves, p. G02.
Anthreptes phoenicotis (Temm.}, Shelley, Mon. Nect. pp. xliii, xlv,
325, pi. 105.
Anthreptes singalensis (Gmel.), Oates, B. B. i, p. 320.
Anthothreptes phoenicotis (Temm.'), Gadoiv, Cat. B. M. ix, p. 121.
Coloration. Male. The whole upper plumage and lesser wing-
coverts brilliant metallic emerald-green ; lores blackish ; cheeks
and ear-coverts rich copper-colour, bordered below by a line of rich
metallic violet-purple ; chin, throat, and breast ferruginous buff;
abdomen, sides of the body, vent, and under tail- coverts yellow ;
tail black, edged externally with metallic green ; under wing-coverts
pale yellow; greater wing-coverts black, edged with metallic
green ; wings black, edged more or less with purple.
Female. The lower plumage like that of the male ; the upper
plumage and the lesser wing-coverts olive-green ; ear-coverts and
cheeks slate-colour ; greater wing-coverts and wings dark brown,
edged with yellowish green; tail brown, broadly edged with
yellowish green.
The young are like the female.
Bill black ; gape orange-yellow ; mouth yellow ; iris lake-red ;
legs yellowish green ; claws yellowish horny; eyelids greenish.
Length 4-4; tail 1'6 ; wing 2-1 ; tarsus -65 ; bill from gape 6.
Distribution. The SikhimTerai; the Bhutan Doars ; the Dibrugarh
district of Assam; the Khasi and Garo hills ; Sylhet ; Cachar ;
374
Dacca ; Tipperah ; Manipur ; the neighbourhood of Bhamo ;
Chittagong ; Arrakan ; the southern portion of Pegu ; the whole
of Tenasserim, thence extending down the Malay peninsula to the
large islands.
habits, fyc. Breeds in Southern Pegu from May to August. The
nest is suspended from the tip of a branch at any height from the
ground and well surrounded by leaves. It is a pear-shaped
structure constructed of hair-like fibres and roots and ornamented
outside with various substances. The entrance is about midway
up the nest and protected by a very ample portico which extends
to the base of the nest. The eggs, two in number, are pinkish
white marked with brown and purple ; they measure about -64
by -45.
Family
The intrinsic muscles of the syrinx fixed to the end of the
bronchial semi-rings ; both mandibles finely and evenly serrated
on the terminal third of their edges ; bill short and triangular ;
primaries nine or ten ; the nestling resembling the adult female;
one moult in the year ; rectrices twelve ; rictal bristles short.
The Dicceidce form a very compact and natural family of birds,
which may be known at once, and separated from all other Passeres
except the Nectariniidce, by the peculiar serrations on the edges of
both mandibles, as shown in the accompanying cut.
Fig. 103. Bill of D, cruentatum (enlarged), to show serrations on mandibles.
This character holds good in all the species of this family
without exception. A lens is generally necessary to observe the
serrations, but frequently they may be seen with the naked eye,
especially if the open bill is held against a sheet of white paper.
The Dicceidce are all small birds, generally of brilliant plumage.
In most species the sexes differ in colour, in some they are alike.
The young resemble the adult female. They are all resident, not
even migrating locally.
DICJEUM. 375
This family forms a connecting-link between the nine-primaried
and the ten-primaried Passeres, some of the genera possessing
nine of these feathers, and others ten. They all have twelve tail-
feathers. The nostrils are covered by a large oval process leaving
a lunar aperture ; the rictal bristles are short, but the naral bristles
are sometimes greatly developed. The tail is always short, and
the tarsus is never lengthened.
The Flower-peckers are remarkable for the beauty of their nests,
which are frequently pear-shaped, and suspended 'from a branch.
The eggs are invariably white except in Piprisoma, in which they
are spotted.
Key to the Genera.
a. With nine primaries, the first reaching
to the tip of the wing.
a'. Bill slender ; the lower line of the
inferior mandible almost straight . . DICTUM, p. 375.
//. Bill thick ; lower mandible swollen ;
its lower edge much angulate.
a". Tail rounded; nostrils covered by
long hairs ACMONOBHYNCHUS, p. 381.
b". Tail square ; nostrils perfectly
bare of hairs PIPRISOMA, p. 382.
b. Wing with ten primaries, the first one
small,
c'. First primary about equal to the
tarsus PBIONOCHILUS, p. 384.
(I '. First primary not longer than the
hind toe PACHYGLOSSA, p. 386.
Genus DICJEUM, Cuvier, 1817.
The genus Dicceum contains eight species of Indian birds, which
are characterized by the possession of nine primaries and a slender
bill with the lower line of the inferior mandible nearly straight.
In Dicceum the males of many of the species are brightly
coloured, and in these cases the sexes differ in coloration ; in other
species they are more dully coloured and the sexes are alike.
They are all without exception of very small size. They
frequent trees, generally at a considerable height above the ground,
and feed both on insects and small berries. Their nests are
beautiful structures made of the finest and most delicate materials,
egg-shaped, and suspended from the tip of a branch. They all lay
white eggs, so far as is known.
Key to the Species.
>me red in it.
a'.* Whole upper plumage crimson .... D. cruentatum tf , p. 376.
a. Upper plumage with some red in it.
a'. Whole upper pi
b'. Rump only crimson" D. cruentatum $, p. 370.
c'. Back and rump bright orange-red . . D. triyonostigma tf , p. 377.
d'. Rump only pale orange-red , . D. triyonostigma $ , p. 377.
376 DICJEIDJE.
b. Upper plumage without any red in it.
e' . Lower tail-coverts of a different
colour to the abdomen; lower
plumage streaked D. chrysorrliceum <5 $ ,
/'. Lower tail-coverts of the same [p. 8.
colour as the abdomen; lower
plumage mistreated.
a". A patch of red on the breast D. ignipectus rf, p. 378.
b". No red on the breast.
a'". Bill black or of a dark colour.
4 . Lower plumage of one
uniform colour.
a 5 . Rump yellowish green con-
trasting with the green of
the back D. ignipectus $ , p. 378.
b 5 . Rump of the same colour
as the back.
a 6 . Forehead and lores
conspicuously whitish . . D. concolor tf $ , p. 379.
b 6 . Forehead and lores of a
dark colour D. olivaceum <$ $ , p. 380.
b 4 . Lower plumage not uniform ;
throat and breast whitish,
abdomen dull yellow D. virescens c? $ , p. 380.
b'". Bill yellow D. erythrorhynchus J $ ,
[p. 381.
912. DicsBum cruentatum. The Scarlet-backed Flower-pecker.
Certhia cruentata, Linn. Syst. Nat. i, p. 187 (1766).
Certhia coccinea, Scop. Del. Fl. et Faun. Insub. ii, p. 91 (1786).
Dictum cruentatum (L.), Blyth, Cat. p. 226 j Hume, N. # E. p. 1/55 ;
Hume fy Dav. S. F. vi, p. 192; Anders. Yunnan Exped., Aves,
p. 663 ; OateSjS. F. vii, p. 46 ; Hume, Cat. no. 236 ; Oates,B. E. i,
p. 332 ; Sharpe, Cat. B. M. x, p. 15 ; Hume, S. F. xi, p. 83 ; Gates
in Hume's N. $ E. 2nd ed. ii, p. 270.
Dicceum coccineum (Scop.}, Horsf. fy M. Cat. ii, p. 747 ; Jerd. B. 1. i,
p. 373.
Fig. 104. Head of D. cruentatum.
Coloration. Male. Forehead, crown, nape, back, ramp, and
upper tail-coverts rich crimson ; lores, sides of the head and neck,
tail, wings, and wing-coverts black ; lower plumage pale buff, the
sides of the breast black, and the sides of the body ashy brown ;
under wing-coverts and axillaries white.
Female. Head, nape, and back olive-green, the centres of the
feathers of the crown darker, and the nape with a golden yellow
tinge ; rump and upper tail-coverts red ; tail black ; the whole
lower plumage ashy buff, darker .on the sides of the neck and body ;
DICTUM. 377
upper wing-coverts dark brown, edged with olive-green ; tertiaries
the same ; primaries and secondaries brown, edged exteriorly with
greenish white.
The young resemble the female.
Legs and feet black ; bill and mouth black ; iris dark brown ;
eyelids plumbeous ; in the female the mouth is flesh-coloured.
Length 3*5; tail 1*05; wing 1/9; tarsus "5; bill from gape *45.
Distribution. The western and northern limits of this species
have not been determined with any great accuracy. It appears to
be common at Calcutta, and it has been obtained in the Khasi hills,
the Bhutan Doars, and the valley of Assam up to Dibrugarh.
South and east of these localities it has been found in Sylhet,
Cachar, and Manipur. It is common throughout the greater
portion of Burma, and extends down to the southernmost point of
Tenasserim.
It is diffused through Southern China, Siam, and the Malay
peninsula down to Sumatra.
Habits, $c. Breeds from March to May and probably later, con-
structing a small egg-shaped nest of vegetable down and grass,
which is attached to the tip of a branch at a considerable height
from the ground as a rule. The eggs, two or three in number, are
glossless white, and measure "56 by '4.
913. Dicaeum trigonostigma. The Orange-bellied Floiver-peclcer.
Certhia trigonostigma, Scop. Del. Fl. et Faun. Insub. ii, p. 91 (1786).
Dicseum trigonostigma (Scop.}, Blyth, Cat. p. 226 ; Iforsf. fy M. Cat.
ii, p. 74 s ; Wahl. P. Z. S. 1866, p. 545; id. Ibis, 1876, p. 341), pi. x,
f. 2 ; Hume 8f Dav. S. F. vi, p. 194 ; Hume, Cat. no. 236 bis ;
Oates, B. B. i, p. 336; Sharpe, Cat. B. M. x, p. 38; Oatcs in
Hume's N. $ E. 2nd ed. ii, p. 272.
Coloration. Male. Forehead, crown, nape, sides of the head
and neck, scapulars, and wing-coverts dull blue ; back and rump
flaming orange-yellow, deeper on the back ; upper tail-coverts dull
blue; chin, throat, cheeks, and breast ashy grey; abdomen, sides
of the body, vent, and under tail-coverts flaming orange ; under
wing-coverts and axillaries whitish ; tail black ; wings black, edged
with dull blue.
Female. Forehead, crown, nape, back, sides of the neck, and
scapulars olive-green ; rump and upper tail-coverts yellow, tinged
with orange at the tips of the feathers ; tail blackish ; coverts and
wings dark brown, narrowly edged with olive-green ; sides of the
head pale ashy; chin and throat sordid green ; breast and side-; <>l
the body ashy green ; abdomen, vent, and under tail-coverts bright
yellow.
The young resemble the female, but have the abdomen dull
yellow.
Male : legs and feet horny black ; bill black ; iris brown.
Female: legs, feet, and claws greenish to dark plumbeous; upper
mandible from tip to nostrils and tip of the lower mandible
378 VICJEIVJE.
blackish horny ; base of upper mandible reddish brown ; lower
mandible (except the tip) and gape pale orange-brown to orange-
vermilion ; iris grey to dark brown (Hume fy Davisori).
Length 3-6 ; tail 1 ; wing 1*9 ; tarsus *5 ; bill from gape *55.
Distribution. Burma. Wardlaw E/amsay obtained this species
in the Karen hills east of Toungngoo at 3000 feet elevation, and I
procured it near the town of Pegu. Davison observed it in
Tenasserim from Moulmein southwards to Bankasun. It extends
to Cochin China and the Malay peninsula.
914. Dicaeum chrysorrhceum, The Yellow-vented Flower-pecker.
Dictum chrysorrhoeum, Temm. PI. Col. pi. 478, f. 1 (1829) ; Blyth,
Cat. p. 227 ; Horsf. $ M. Cat. ii, p. 751 ; Jerd. B. I. i, p. 374 ; Wold.
Ibis, 1872, p. 380 ; Godw.-Aust. J. A. S. B. xliii, pt. ii, p. 156 ;
Hume 8f Dav. S. F. vi, p. 195 ; Anders. Yunnan Exped., Aves,p. 663 ;
Hume, Cat. no. 237 ; Bingham, S. F. ix, p. 170 ; Oates, S. F. x,
p. 198 ; id. B. B. i, p. 335 ; Sharpe, Cat. B. M. x, p. 44 ; Hume,
S. F. xi, p. 84.
Dictum chrysochlore, Blyth, J.A.S. B. xii, p. 1009 (1843).
Coloration. Upper plumage and lesser wing-coverts yellowish
green, brighter on the rump and upper tail-coverts ; tail blackish ;
greater wing-coverts dark brown on the inner webs and yellowish
green on the outer ; quills blackish brown, the secondaries and
tertiaries broadly edged with yellowish green, the primaries very
narrowly with whitish ; sides of the head and neck yellowish green ;
cheeks, chin, and throat white, with a greenish-brown rnandibular
streak below the cheeks ; lower plumage whitish, streaked with
greenish brown ; under tail-coverts golden yellow ; under wing-
coverts and axillaries white.
Iris orange-red ; eyelids pinkish ; upper mandible and tip of the
lower black; remainder of bill pale plumbeous ; legs dark plum-
beous ; claws dark horn ; mouth flesh-colour.
Length 4 ; tail 1-2 ; wing 2-3 ; tarsus -6 ; bill from gape '5.
Distribution. Nepal and Sikhim ; Naga hills, Tipperah, Manipur ;
the whole of Burma to the extreme south. The Nepal habitat is
somewhat doubtful, for although Hodgson's specimens are said to
have come from that country, they may nevertheless have been
obtained in Sikhim. This species extends down the Malay penin-
sula to the islands.
915. Dicaeum ignipectus. The Fire-breasted Flower-pecker.
Myzanthe ignipectus, Hodgs. Blyth, J. A. S. B. xii, p. 983 (1843) ;
Blyth, Cat. p. 227; Horsf. $ M. Cat. ii, p. 751; Jerd. B. I. i,
p. 377 ; Stol. J. A. S. B. xxxvii, pt. ii, p. 24 ; Hume, N. fy E. p. 159 ;
Hume $ Dav. S. F. vi, p. 200 ; Hume, Cat. no. 241 ; Scully,
S. F. viii, p. 261 ; Oates, B. B. i, p. 337 ; Hume, S. F. xi, p. 85.
Dicseum ignipectus (Hodgsi}, Sharpe, Cat. B. M. x, p. 41 ; Oates in
Hume's N. fy E. 2nd ed. ii, p. 272.
Sangti-pro-pho, Lepch.
DICTUM. 379
Coloration. Male. Upper plumage, sides of head, and neck black
with a green and purple gloss and each feather fringed with
yellowish brown ; wings and tail black, edged with glossy green ;
lower plumage buff, tinged with green on the sides of the body ; a
large patch of crimson on the breast, with a black patch below it
sometimes produced down the middle of the abdomen. The yellow
fringes of the upper plumage get worn off a good deal during the
winter.
Female. Above green, rather glossy on the head and tinged with
yellow on the rump and upper tail-coverts ; sides of the head ashy
green, also the sides of the throat ; lores and lower plumage buff,
tinged with green on the sides of the body ; wings and tail black
edged with green ; under wing-coverts and axillaries white.
The young resemble the female.
Male : bill black ; iris brown or blackish brown ; feet and claws
dull or brownish black. Female : bill black ; base of lower man-
dible plumbeous (Scully).
Length rather more than 3 : tail 1 ; wing 1*9 ; tarsus '5 ; bill
from gape -4.
Distribution. The Himalayas from the Sutlej valley to Assam,
up to 7000 feet ; Khiisi hills ; Manipur ; Karennee and Muleyit
mountain in Tenasserim.
Habits, fyc. Breeds in the Himalayas from April to July, con-
structing a pendent nest of very small size attached to the end of
a twig of some large tree. In shape the nest is said to be like a
purse and the walls to be like thin felt. The eggs are not known.
910. DiCBBTim concolor. The Nilyiri Flower-decker.
\ ticaeum concolor, Jcrd. Madr. Journ. L. S. xi, p. 227 (1840) ; id. 111.
Lid. Orn. pi. 39 ; id. B. I. i, p. 37o : 7///////, Cat. p. 227 ; Hume,
N. 8f E. p. 156 ; id. Cat. no. 239 ; Damson, 8. F. x,p. 303 ; Sharpe,
Cat. B. M. x, p. 45 ; Barnes, Birds Bom. p. 138; Oatcs in Hume'*
N. $ E. 2nd ed. ii, p. 272.
Chitlu-jitta, Tel.
Coloration. In freshly-moulted birds the lores, forehead, and
round the eye are conspicuously white ; the whole upper plumage
dull green, the centres of the crown-feathers darker ; wings and
tail dark brown, edged with dull green ; sides of the head and neck
pale ashy green ; low*er plumage pale yellowish buff. Soon after
the autumnal moult the white of the face becomes dull.
Iris dark brown ; legs and feet dusky slaty ; bill lavender-blue,
dusky on the culmen (Butler}.
Length about 3'5 ; tail 1*1 ; wing 2 ; tarsus *5 ; bill from
gape -5.
Distribution. The western coast of India from Khandala and
Mahablesluvar to the Palui hills. Blanford is said to have obtained
it at Bihispur in the Central Provinces, but most probably some
mistake has occurred about this locality.
380
Habits, $-c. Breeds from January to April, making a pendent
nest of vegetable down, lichens, &c., attached to the extremity of
a twig of some tree. It lays three eggs, which are glossless white
and measure '64 by '43.
917. Dicaeum olivaceum. The Plain-coloured Flower-pecker.
Myzanthe inornata, Hodgs. in Gray's Zool. Misc. p. 82 (1844, descr.
nulld) ; id. Gray's Cat. Mamm. fyc. J^epal Coll. Hodgs. pp. 60, 151
(1846, descr. nulld).
Dicseum olivaceum, Wald. A. M. N. H. (4) xv, p. 401 (1875) ;
Godw-Aust. J. A. S. B. xlv, pt. ii, p. 194 ; Hume, S. F. iv, p. 498 ;
Hume $ Dav. S. F. vi, p. 195 ; Hume, Cat. no. 237 ter ; Oates,
B. B. i, p. 333 ; Hume, S. F. xi, p. 84.
Dicseum inornatum (Hodgs?), Sharpe, Cat. B. M. x, p. 45.
Coloration. The whole upper plumage olive-green, the rump
rather brighter and the feathers of the head centred darker ; tail
dark brown, the feathers faintly edged with olive-green ; wing-
coverts brown, broadly edged with the colour of the back ; wings
dark brown, edged with olive-green rather brighter than the back ;
sides of the head and the whole lower plumage dull oily greenish
yellow with an ashy tinge.
Legs and feet very dark plumbeous ; upper mandible and tip of
lower very dark brown ; rest of the bill pale plumbeous ; iris deep
brown (Hume fy Davison}.
Length 3-3; tail 1 ; wing 1-8 ; tarsus '45 ; bill from gape -45.
The name D. inornatum cannot be used for this species, for
Hodgson never published any description of the bird. He, more-
over, confounded together the females of D. inornatum and D.
ignipectus, as is shown by his specimens of both species in the
British Museum being numbered 393.
Distribution. Occurs in Nepal, Sikhim, the Bhutan Doars, Shil-
long, the Naga hills, Manipur, the Toungngoo and Karen hills,
at Pap won, on the Sal ween river, "Wimpong, and Meet an near
Moulmein. This species ranges into the Malay peninsula and to
Sumatra.
918. Dicaeum virescens. The Andamanese Flower-pecker.
Dicreum virescens, Hume, S. F. i, p. 482 (1873), ii, p. 198 ; id. Cat.
no. 237 bis ; Sharpe, Cat. B. M. x, p. 46.
Coloration. The whole upper plumage olive-green, brightest on
the rump and upper tail-coverts, the feathers of the crown centred
darker ; wings and tail dark brown, edged with olive-green ; sides
of the head greenish ashy ; chin, throat, and breast ashy white ;