All riohts reserved.'] 
November, 1909. 
BIRD NOTES: 
THE 
JOURNAL OF THE FOREIGN BIRD CLUB. 
XTbe Jflame^breastet) Jflowcr^peckers. 
{Dicceum ignicolle^. 
By Wesley T. Page, F.Z.S. 
A few lines on Flower-peckers generally, will, I think, form 
a Siting introduction to the subject of our beautiful frontispiece. 
To my esteemed friend and fellow member, Mr. E. W. Harper, 
belongs the honour of being the first to import this genus to this 
country. Some few years ago he presented a pair of the Crimson- 
backed and a single Tickell's to the London Zoo, where their 
stay was but short, as they soon joined the "majority." 
The Family DiC^lDl^ consists of nineteen genera, cover- 
ing ninety-six species, of which Dicceum claims forty-seven ; the 
genera are as follows: Heynignatlms (3), Drepanis {i)-, Vestiaria 
(i), Himatione (2), Diccsian (47), Loxioides (i), Loxops ('3), 
Psiihrostra (i), Pinaroloxias (l), Oreocharis (i), Pardalotus (8), 
Parmophila (i), Prionochilus (15), Pliolidornis (2), Lobornis (i), 
Utocharis (i), Mela^iocharis (4), Pristorhavipiis (i), and Rhafnp- 
hocharis (i). The figures indicate the number of species. 
The Flower-peckers strongly resemble the Sunbirds in 
their habits; however, very few of them have their slender. 
Creeper-like bill, and the structure of the nest of the Flower- 
peckers differs widely from that of the Sunbirds. With the ex- 
ception of a few species found on the West Coast of Africa, they 
are natives of Indian and Australian regions. Many of the species 
are gorgeously arrayed, others almost plain ; four species Z>. riibro- 
coroiiaium, D. pulchruis, P. riibrifrons and L. alexandri are figured 
in colour in Vol. X. B.M. Cat., the first three of which are equally 
beautiful as the species which adorns our frontispiece. 
These wee mites, about the size of an English Wren, 
frequent woods and gardens, also in small flocks haunt tlie tops 
of lofty trees near water courses; they are very rapid in their 
