DICTUM DORSALE, Sharpe. 



Yellow-throated Dicaeum. 



Dicaum dorsale, Sharpe, 'Nature,' August, 1876, p. 298.— Id. Transactions of the Linnean Society, 2nd series, 

 Zoology, vol. i. part 5. 



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The Malayan archipelago is the metropolis of the Diceidce, where nearly every island seems to posses as 

 peculiar species ; and in the Philippine Islands occur the representatives of a complete section of the above- 

 named family. These might be called the "black-and-white" Flower-peckers; and the two beautiful birds 

 already figured in the present work on the Plate of D. retrocinctum are characteristic species of this section. 

 Since that time Dr. Steere has discovered during his visit to the Philippines two more species — D. hcemato- 

 stictum, Sharpe, from Guimaras and Negros, and D. hypoleucum, Sharpe, from Basilan and Malamaui ; so 

 that we now know of four of these pied Diceidce in the above-named archipelago. I mention these birds, as 

 I am anxious to correct an error into which I was led when treating of D. retrocinctum in the present work. 

 I figured on the Plate of the latter species two birds which I considered might be the sexes of one and the 

 same species, although I hinted that there might be two birds ; and this seems to be the case, as both Mr. 

 Sharpe and Count Salvadori have examined the question, and regard the supposed female of D. retrocinctum 

 as the species long ago described as D. papuense by Gmelin. 



The most characteristic representative of this group is D. trigonostigmu, a species widely spread over the 

 Indo-Malayan subregion, and occurring plentifully in Borneo ; it was also found by Dr. Steere in Negros. 

 The present species, called by Mr. Sharpe dorsale on account of the red spot on the back, is from the 

 island of Panay, where, according to Dr. Steere, it was " shot in the highest part of the island, in the 

 remains of the virgin forest on the highest range of the mountains west of Ilo Ho." It is easily distin- 

 guished from D. trigonostigma by the orange-red colour of the back being confined to the mantle instead of 

 the whole back being yellow, and also by its entirely yellow throat. 



The following is a translation of Mr. Sharpe's original description : — 



Above bright slaty-grey, the head rather brighter ; interscapulary region orange-red ; wing-coverts uni- 

 form with the back, the outer ones edged with olive ; quills blackish, externally margined with the same 

 colour as the back, a few of the secondaries edged with olive, the innermost uniform with the back ; upper 

 tail-coverts slaty grey ; tail black, the feathers margined with slate-colour ; lores black ; sides of the face 

 dark slate-colour ; below very bright orange, the throat and lower abdomen yellow ; thighs inwardly grey, 

 externally yellow ; bill blackish, the lower mandible paler towards the base; feet dark brown. Total length 

 3*5 inches, culmen '5, wing 1*9, tail 1*05, tarsus '55. 



The female is olive-green above, the rump rather more yellow ; sides of face uniform with the head ; 

 below bright yellow, the breast and under wing-coverts more richly coloured. Total length 3'7 inches, 

 culmen 5, wing 1*9, tail *9, tarsus -55. 



The figures are taken from the typical birds procured by Dr. Steere in Panay, and kindly lent to me by 

 him before his return to America. 



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