collected in the Philippine Islands. 233 



an altitude of 1000 feet in Abra, and it was not met with 

 above this height in Luzon; but in Mindoro it was obtained 

 at nearly 5000 feet. The area over which the species ranges 

 is therefore bounded by the great central range of North 

 Luzon to the east. That this species, together with over half 

 a dozen other highland forms, should be found in Mindoro 

 and Luzon, indicates that at some period the high mountain- 

 ranges of Western Luzon and those of Mindoro must have 

 been united. 



Iris dark brown ; upper mandible slate-blue, tipped with 

 black ; legs and half of the lower mandible lead-blue ; soles 

 of feet yellow, 



IGO. Dictum HiEMAxosTiCTUM (Sharpe). (Grant, Ibis, 

 1896, p. 553.) 



Met with in Negros, at the base of Canloon volcano. A 

 nest was taken on the 19th of March, containing one egg ; 

 the e^g is of quite a different type to those laid by the next 

 group of Dicseums (the yellow-breasted group), which lay a 

 pure white egg. This nest is in the Museum and the e^,^ is 

 figured in this Journal (1898, pi. vi. fig. 2). 



Iris dark brown ; bill and feet black. 



161. Dic.t:um rubriventer Less. (Grant, Ibis, 1895, 

 pp. 258,453; 1896, p. 120; 1897, p. 238.) 



This is a common species in Luzon, frequenting the edges of 

 forests and open places, where it finds the small berry-bearing 

 trees, on the fruit of which it chiefly subsists. The intestines 

 of every Dicaeum examined by me are very large compared with 

 the size of the bird, the reason of this being apparently that 

 the fruits are swallowed whole and the stones passed through 

 the stomach. This species has a wide range in the Philip- 

 pines, from the North of Luzon to Hasilan on the east, and, 

 curiously enough, occurring in Masbate and Cebu ; in the 

 latter island one would have expected D. hcematostictum of 

 Negros. I doubt if D. rttrocinctum has ever been met with 

 in Luzon, though the British Museum contains specimens 

 labelled " Manila" ; but in old days all birds were thus 

 labelled, Manila being the place of export. This Dicseum 



SER. VII. VOL. V. R 



