TENUIROSTRES. 17 



and tail-covers, yellow ; a patch of lurid metallic purple edged at 

 the lower part with brilliant violet extends from the beak passing 

 below the eyes and over the ears. 



Wings ; quills, dusky black, some of the inner ones edged with 

 steel-blue ; covers, metallic green. 



Tail ; black, the feathers edged with green. 

 Female — above, dull green. 



Below J chin, throat, and upper breast burnt sienna colour, but 

 paler than in the male ; from breast to tail yellow. 



Wings ; covers dull green, quills dusky black, edged with yellowish 

 oil-green. 



Tail ; dusky black, edged with yellowish oil-green. 

 Length, 4 inches 1 line. 



„ of bill, from gape, 6^ lines. 

 „ of bill, from front, 6 lines. 

 „ of wings, 2 inches. 

 „ of tail, 1 inch 7 lines. 

 „ of tarsus, 7 lines. 

 „ of middle toe, 5 lines. 

 „ of hallux, 5 lines. 



These birds are usually seen in small flocks, and frequent 

 tall Oasuarinas, among which they busy themselves running 

 about, up and down the branches, like Tits ; their note is a 

 shrill chirp ; the stomachs of the specimens we have obtained 

 were completely crammed with the pollen of the Casuarina. 



Gen. Dicaeum. 



Dicaeum croceoventer (Vigors). 



„ cantillans (Temm.). 



„ trigonostigma (Gray). 

 Burong bunga api (Malay name). 



Male — above ; head, nape, and upper back dark grayish blue ; 

 lower back, deep saiFron-yellow, mixed with gray, passing into a 

 lighter shade at the tail-covers. 



Below ; chin and throat light gray, body and tail-covers saffron- 

 yellow. 



Wings j covers, dark grayish blue, quills black, edged with grayish 

 blue. 



Tail ; black, edged with gray. 



Female — above ; dull olive-green, excepting the tail-covers, which 

 are dull saffron-yellow. 



Wings ; covers, &c., as the back-quills, black, edged with yellowish 

 green. 



Tail ; brownish black. 



Length, 3| inches. 



c 



