138 



Above, brilliantly glossed with metallic green and purple; 

 abdomen dull brownish-black ; axillary tuft yellow and red ; wings 

 and tail black, the latter slightly glossed purple ; throat and breast 

 rich purple ; a narrow bright maroon collar separates the purple of 

 the breast from the back of the abdomen. 



Within our limits, the Large Purple Honey Sucker only occurs 

 on the Western Ghats and in the adjacent forests, also in the 

 forests west of Belgaum and perhaps in the Konkan, but it is no- 

 where common. 



SUB-FAMILY, Dicseinaa. 



Bill short, usually depressed at the base, thick in some ; tail 

 short ; wings rather long, of very small size. 



GENUS, Dicseum, Cuvier. 



Bill short, broad at the base, suddenly compressed beyond, tip 

 entire, culmen curved ; nostrils triangular ; wings lengthened, with 

 nine primaries, the first three are about equal, the second slightly 

 the longest ; tail short, even ; feet with the lateral toes unequal, 

 the outer-toe a good deal syndactyle. 



Dicseum erythrorhynchus, Lath. 



238. D. minimum, Tickel. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. I, 

 p. 374 ; Butler, Deccan ; Stray Feathers, Vol. IX, p. 390. 



TICKELL'S FLOWER-PECKER. 



Length, 3'12 ; wing, 175 ; tail, 88 ; tarsus, 0'66 ; bill at front, 

 0-38. 



Bill pale-fleshy ; tip dusky ; irides brown ; legs leaden-brown. 



Above ashy-olive, paler and fulvescent beneath ; wings and 

 tail darker. 



Tickell's Flower-pecker is locally common in many parts of 

 the Deccan. At Belgaum, where it is very common, it breeds in the 

 hot weather. It occurs along the Sahyadri Kange as far north as 

 Mahableshwar and has been procured at Ratnagiri. It has not 

 been recorded from any other portion of our limits. 



Dicseum concolor, Jerdon. 



239. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. I, p. 375 ; Butler, Deccan ; 

 Stray Feathers, Vol. IX, p. 391. 



THE NEILGHERRY FLOWER-PECKER. 



Length, 4'2 ; wing, 21 ; tail, 1*1 ; tarsus, 0*5 ; bill at front, 

 0-4. 



Bill dusky-brown ; irides dark brown ; legs cinereous-brown. 



Above brownish-olive ; beneath greenish-white ; wings and 

 tail brown ; sexes alike. 



Occurs in the same localities as the last, but is somewhat 

 rare. 



