248 DIC^ID^. 



The whole upper plumage dingy olive brown, rather olivaceous on the 

 upper back ; bastard wing and primary coverts uniform dark brown ; quills 

 and tail dark brown, narrowly edged with dull olive yellowish. Head dingy 

 olive brown, the feathers centred with dusky ; base of forehead, lores and 

 eyelids whitish ; ear coverts streaked with narrow shaft lines; centre of breast 

 and abdomen pale olive yellowish, also the under tail coverts ; under wing 

 coverts and axillaries white with a faint yellowish tinge. Bill dusky brown ; 

 legs slate colour ; iris brown. 



Length. 3*5 to 37 inches; wing 1*95 to 2 ; tail 1-05 to r 15 ; culmen 0-45. 



Hal. Southern India (Coonoor). Jerdon says it is very abundant on the 

 top of the Neilgherries, also in most of the forests of Malabar and in the 

 woods of the eastern ghauts. It frequents the highest branches of lofty trees, 

 hopping actively about the small twigs and flowering branches and feeding on 

 various minute insects ; also occasionally on the nectar of flowers and on 

 flower buds. It breeds in the Neilgherries during March, making a beautiful 

 little purse-like nest which is hung from the branch of some shrub. It is 

 loosely woven, exteriorly with fine grass and lined with the silky pappus of 

 some Asteraceous plant. The length of the nest is about 3 inches, and the 

 exterior diameter about 2 inches. Eggs, 2 in number, elongated ovals, pure 

 white and glossless, varying in length from O'6 to O-68 inch and in breadth 

 from 0*4 to 0-46 inch. 



756. Dicseum inornatum (Hodgs.}, Sharpe, p. z. s. 1883, 



p. 580 ; id., Cat. B. Br. Mus. x. p. 45. Myzanthe inornata, Hodgs., Icon, imd in 

 Br. Mus. Passeres, pi. 37. Dicaeum olivaceum, Wald., Ann, and Mag. Nat. 

 Hist (4) xv. p. 401 ; id., in Ely Ms B. Burm. p. 143; Tweed., Ibis, 1877, 

 p. 302; Hume and Vav., Str. F. 1878, p. 195 ; Hume, Str. F> 1879, p. 90; 

 Bingham, Str. F. 1880, p. 171 ; Gates, B. Br. Burm. i. p. 333. The PLAIN- 

 COLOURED FLOWER-PECKER. 



The whole upper plumage dull olive, brighter on the lower back and rump, 

 and the feathers of the head centred darker ; tail dark brown, the feathers 

 faintly edged with olive ; wing coverts blackish brown, the feathers edged with 

 dull olive ; wings dark brown edged with olive green; lores, sides of the face 

 and cheeks pale ashy olive, also a line of feathers over the eye ; upper parts of 

 the ear coverts darker olive brown ; under surface of the body greenish yellow, 

 tinged somewhat with ashy olive on the sides and flanks ; under tail coverts 

 yellowish white ; under wing coverts and axillaries white, slightly washed with 

 yellow. Upper mandible and tip of lower dark brown ; rest of lower mandible 

 very dark brown or black ; legs dark plumbeous ; iris deep brown. 



Length. y I lo 3-3 inches ; wing r8 ; tail I ; tarsus 0-45 ; culmen 0-4. 



Hab. From Nepaul and the Eastern Himalayas throughout the Burmese 

 countries down the Malay Peninsula, Recorded from Bhootan, the Tonghoo 



