— HKMB—l m i S T l A M I , Sharpe,.
DICTUM TRISTRAMI, Sharpe.
Tristram’s Flower-pecker.
Dicieum tristrami, Sharpe, Proc. Zool. Soc. 1883, p. 579.
T his peculiarly coloured Flower-pecker was lent to us by Canon Tristram, and as we had every reason to
believe it to be hitherto undescribed, we attached to it our friend’s name in recognition o f his many
services to ornithology. The species was discovered by Lieut. Richards in Makira Harbour, in San Cristovai,
one o f the Solomon Islands.
I t is not necessary to compare Tristram’s Flower-pecker with any other members o f the genus Dicceum,
for its style o f colouring is quite unique, and does not ally i t with any o f the species known up to the present
time.
The following is a description o f the type specimen, which is in Canon Tristram’s collection :—
Adult male. General colour above chocolate-brown, the mantle slightly streaked with a few hoary whitish
margins to the feathers ; wing-coverts darker chocolate-brown than the back ; bastard wing, primary-coverts,
and quills blackish brown, the inner secondaries chocolate-brown like the back ; upper tail-coverts and tail
blackish brown, contrasting sharply with the back ; head brown, but mottled with blackish-brown centres to
thè feathers, the plumes o f the forehead and vertex margined with hoary whitish ; a line o f feathers above the
eye and ear-coverts hoary white, the latter slightly mottled, with brown bases ; lores, eyelid, fore part of
cheeks, and base of chin blackish ; hinder cheeks, throat, and fore neck hoary white, with brown bases to the
feathers ; sides o f neck like the back ; centre of breast, abdomen, and under tail-coverts pure white, the sides
o f the body ashy ; sides o f upper breast brown, with hoary whitish edges to the feathers ; axillaries and under
wing-coverts white ; quills dusky below, ashy whitish along the edge of the inner web ; “ bill black ; feet black ;
iris grey ” (Richards). Total length 3 5 inches, culmen 0*45, wing 2*3, tail 1 1 5 , tarsus 0 55. (Mus. H. B.
Tristram.)
'I he Plate represents the individual above described, o f the natural size, in two positions.
[ft. B. S.][