diff --git a/numpy/core/src/multiarray/descriptor.c b/numpy/core/src/multiarray/descriptor.c
index 78ed7a1de315..49f086d21459 100644
--- a/numpy/core/src/multiarray/descriptor.c
+++ b/numpy/core/src/multiarray/descriptor.c
@@ -3752,11 +3752,9 @@ descr_repeat(PyObject *self, Py_ssize_t length)
     return (PyObject *)new;
 }
 
-static PyObject *
-descr_subscript(PyArray_Descr *self, PyObject *op)
+static int
+_check_has_fields(PyArray_Descr *self)
 {
-    PyObject *retval;
-
     if (!PyDataType_HASFIELDS(self)) {
         PyObject *astr = arraydescr_str(self);
 #if defined(NPY_PY3K)
@@ -3767,74 +3765,91 @@ descr_subscript(PyArray_Descr *self, PyObject *op)
         PyErr_Format(PyExc_KeyError,
                 "There are no fields in dtype %s.", PyBytes_AsString(astr));
         Py_DECREF(astr);
+        return -1;
+    }
+    else {
+        return 0;
+    }
+}
+
+static PyObject *
+_subscript_by_name(PyArray_Descr *self, PyObject *op)
+{
+    PyObject *obj = PyDict_GetItem(self->fields, op);
+    PyObject *descr;
+    PyObject *s;
+
+    if (obj == NULL) {
+        if (PyUnicode_Check(op)) {
+            s = PyUnicode_AsUnicodeEscapeString(op);
+        }
+        else {
+            s = op;
+        }
+
+        PyErr_Format(PyExc_KeyError,
+                "Field named \'%s\' not found.", PyBytes_AsString(s));
+        if (s != op) {
+            Py_DECREF(s);
+        }
         return NULL;
     }
+    descr = PyTuple_GET_ITEM(obj, 0);
+    Py_INCREF(descr);
+    return descr;
+}
+
+static PyObject *
+_subscript_by_index(PyArray_Descr *self, Py_ssize_t i)
+{
+    PyObject *name = PySequence_GetItem(self->names, i);
+    if (name == NULL) {
+        PyErr_Format(PyExc_IndexError,
+                     "Field index %zd out of range.", i);
+        return NULL;
+    }
+    return _subscript_by_name(self, name);
+}
+
+static PyObject *
+descr_subscript(PyArray_Descr *self, PyObject *op)
+{
+    if (_check_has_fields(self) < 0) {
+        return NULL;
+    }
+
 #if defined(NPY_PY3K)
     if (PyUString_Check(op)) {
 #else
     if (PyUString_Check(op) || PyUnicode_Check(op)) {
 #endif
-        PyObject *obj = PyDict_GetItem(self->fields, op);
-        PyObject *descr;
-        PyObject *s;
-
-        if (obj == NULL) {
-            if (PyUnicode_Check(op)) {
-                s = PyUnicode_AsUnicodeEscapeString(op);
-            }
-            else {
-                s = op;
-            }
-
-            PyErr_Format(PyExc_KeyError,
-                    "Field named \'%s\' not found.", PyBytes_AsString(s));
-            if (s != op) {
-                Py_DECREF(s);
-            }
-            return NULL;
-        }
-        descr = PyTuple_GET_ITEM(obj, 0);
-        Py_INCREF(descr);
-        retval = descr;
+        return _subscript_by_name(self, op);
     }
     else if (PyInt_Check(op)) {
-        PyObject *name;
-        int size = PyTuple_GET_SIZE(self->names);
-        int value = PyArray_PyIntAsInt(op);
-        int orig_value = value;
-
+        Py_ssize_t i = PyArray_PyIntAsIntp(op);
         if (PyErr_Occurred()) {
             return NULL;
         }
-        if (value < 0) {
-            value += size;
-        }
-        if (value < 0 || value >= size) {
-            PyErr_Format(PyExc_IndexError,
-                         "Field index %d out of range.", orig_value);
-            return NULL;
-        }
-        name = PyTuple_GET_ITEM(self->names, value);
-        retval = descr_subscript(self, name);
+        return _subscript_by_index(self, i);
     }
     else {
         PyErr_SetString(PyExc_ValueError,
                 "Field key must be an integer, string, or unicode.");
         return NULL;
     }
-    return retval;
 }
 
 static PySequenceMethods descr_as_sequence = {
-    descr_length,
-    (binaryfunc)NULL,
-    descr_repeat,
-    NULL, NULL,
-    NULL,                                        /* sq_ass_item */
-    NULL,                                        /* ssizessizeobjargproc sq_ass_slice */
-    0,                                           /* sq_contains */
-    0,                                           /* sq_inplace_concat */
-    0,                                           /* sq_inplace_repeat */
+    (lenfunc) descr_length,                  /* sq_length */
+    (binaryfunc) NULL,                       /* sq_concat */
+    (ssizeargfunc) descr_repeat,             /* sq_repeat */
+    (ssizeargfunc) NULL,                     /* sq_item */
+    (ssizessizeargfunc) NULL,                /* sq_slice */
+    (ssizeobjargproc) NULL,                  /* sq_ass_item */
+    (ssizessizeobjargproc) NULL,             /* sq_ass_slice */
+    (objobjproc) NULL,                       /* sq_contains */
+    (binaryfunc) NULL,                       /* sq_inplace_concat */
+    (ssizeargfunc) NULL,                     /* sq_inplace_repeat */
 };
 
 static PyMappingMethods descr_as_mapping = {
diff --git a/numpy/core/tests/test_dtype.py b/numpy/core/tests/test_dtype.py
index 9cefb2ad1d05..7f5ab2c9dd8e 100644
--- a/numpy/core/tests/test_dtype.py
+++ b/numpy/core/tests/test_dtype.py
@@ -298,6 +298,14 @@ def make_dtype(off):
         dt = make_dtype(np.uint32(0))
         np.zeros(1, dtype=dt)[0].item()
 
+    def test_fields_by_index(self):
+        dt = np.dtype([('a', np.int8), ('b', np.float32, 3)])
+        assert_dtype_equal(dt[0], np.dtype(np.int8))
+        assert_dtype_equal(dt[1], np.dtype((np.float32, 3)))
+        assert_dtype_equal(dt[-1], dt[1])
+        assert_dtype_equal(dt[-2], dt[0])
+        assert_raises(IndexError, lambda: dt[-3])
+
 
 class TestSubarray(object):
     def test_single_subarray(self):