DICTUM cruentatum. 



Red-backed Dicaeum. 



Certhia cruentata, Linn. Syst. Nat. Gmel. Edit. torn. i. p. 478. 



Bengalensis, Briss. Orn. torn. iii. p. 663. 



coccineum, Scop. 



erythronotos, Lath. Ind. Orn. vol. i. p. 290. 



Red-backed Creeper, Lath. Gen. Syn. Supp. p. 132.— lb. Gen. Hist. vol. iv. p. 241. 



Le Grimpereau d dos rouge de la Chine, Sonn. Voy. aux Indes, torn. ii. p. 209. pi. 117. fig. 1. 



Le Soui-manga a dos rouge, Vieill. Ois. dor. torn. ii. p. 57. pi. 35. 



Black, White and Red Indian Creeper, Edw. Birds, pi. 81. 



Dicceum rubricapillum, Less. 



Nectarinia ignita, Begbie. 



Dicceum coccineum, Gray and Mitch. Gen. of Birds, vol. i. p. 100, Dicceum, sp. 9. 



cruentatum, Blyth, Cat. of Birds in Mus. Asiat. Soc. Calcutta, p. 226. 



i 



The Dicceum cruentatum is said to be common in the vicinity of Calcutta, and to extend its range eastward 

 to Assam, and thence southward to Tenasserim and Malacca. It is a bird which has been long known, 

 being described and figured in some of the oldest works on ornithology, as will be seen on reference to the 

 synonyms given above. Captain Tytler, in his " Observations on the Fauna of Barrackpoore," states that 

 " the little Dicceum cruentatum, with its scarlet back, and the little sombre D. minimum are very abundant, 

 but at all times difficult to obtain, owing to their extreme minuteness, besides which they often keep in the 

 upper branches of high trees." — Ann. and Mag. of Nat. Hist. 2nd ser. vol. xiii. p. 373. 



This, I regret to say, is all the information I have been able to obtain respecting the habits and economy 

 of this pretty species ; we may conjecture, however, that they are very similar to those of its near ally, the 

 Dicceum hirundinaceum of Australia, a full description of which will be found in my work on the birds of 

 that country. 



The sexes differ very materially in colour, the female being almost devoid of the scarlet colouring of the 

 upper surface, the rump only being of that hue. 



The male has the crown of the head, back, rump and upper tail-coverts deep scarlet ; wing-coverts 

 greenish black ; primaries and tail dull black ; sides of the face, sides of the neck and flanks dull black ; 

 centre of the throat and breast, abdomen and under tail-coverts light buff; bill black; legs and feet dusky 

 brown. 



The female has the head, upper surface, wings and sides of the face olive ; rump and upper taiNcoverts 

 scarlet ; under surface buff down the centre, passing into olive on the sides ; bill black, except at the base 

 of the lower mandible, where it is much paler; feet dusky brown. 



The Plate represents the two sexes of the natural size. 



It 





