252 THE FLY-CATCHERS. 



The color of the adult male is bright yellow over the whole of the head, neck, and body, 

 with the exception of the wings, the two central tail-feathers, and the basal portions of the 

 remaining feathers, which are jetty black, the two colors contrasting finely with each other. 

 Across the eye runs a dark stripe, and the eyes themselves are bright pinky red. In the 

 young bird the yellow is of a dusky greenish hue, and the black feathers are of a dingy brown, 

 and, according to Mr. Yarrell, the young males after their first moult resemble the old females. 

 In the second year the yellow of the back is more decided, and the wings and tail are of a 

 deeper black, and in many of the remaining feathers the colors are less brilliant than in the 

 bird of full plumage. It is rather curious that as the bird breeds in its second year, it is 

 hardly possible to distinguish the sexes, both wearing the same greenish-yellow and brownish- 

 black apparel. The total length of the Golden Oriole is not quite ten inches. 



There are many other Orioles known to ornithologists which cannot be described in these 

 pages for lack of space, and it must be sufficient to record the Mango Bird of India (Oriolus 

 Tcundoo), remarkable for its peculiarly melancholy cry, and the Black-headed Oriole of Bengal 

 (Oriolus melanocephalus], notable for its lengthened monotonic flute-like note. None of the 

 true Orioles are found in America ; and the reader must be careful not to confound those 

 birds, which are nearly allied with the starlings, with the Orioles of the eastern hemisphere, 

 the only resemblance between them being a similarity of coloring. 



BEFORE quitting this interesting family of birds, we must give a passing notice to the 

 BULBULS, so well known by the repeated references to them in Oriental writings. Some of 

 the species are possessed of remarkably sweet voices, and are popularly called nightingales. 

 They are easily tamed, becoming very fond of a kind owner, and can be taught to perform 

 many interesting tricks. One species is kept for the purpose of fighting, and is trained for 

 this object as carefully as gamecocks were formerly trained for the cruel amusement of their 

 owners. In a wild state they are generally found in the woods and jungles, and are in the 

 habit of visiting gardens for the sake of preying upon the ripened fruits and insects. They 

 are all exotic birds, and are only found in the eastern hemisphere. 



FLY-CATCHERS. 



THE interesting family of the FLY-CATCHERS is composed of a large number of species, 

 extremely variable in size, form, and color. The average dimensions of these birds are about 

 equal to those of a large sparrow, and many are smaller than that bird, although two or three 

 species nearly equal the thrush in size. Their shape is always neat and elegant, and their 

 plumage sits closely on the body in order to permit the short but rapid evolutions which they 

 make in pursuit of their active prey. One or two, such as the Paradise and Fork-tailed Fly- 

 catchers, are remarkable for the mode in which the tail is elongated into a graceful and elegant 

 train, and in other species the tail is broad and fan-like. In color the Fly-catchers are mostly 

 of sober but pleasing tints, but there are several notable exceptions to the rule, such as the 

 Crested Fly-catcher (PyrocepTialus corondtus), remarkable for the crown of fiery scarlet 

 feathers which decorates the top of the head, the Blue Niltava (Niltdva sundara), which has 

 its broad back and tail of a brilliant azure, and the SelopTiagus picta, whose abdomen is of a 

 bright scarlet. 



The bill of the Fly -catcher is of various lengths, but is almost invariably rather hard and 

 flattened at the base, slightly curved at the point, and compressed towards the tip. At the 

 corners of the mouth are generally several long bristles like those of the nightjar, and prob- 

 ably placed there for the same purpose, i. e., to aid the bird in the capture of its insect prey. 

 The wings are long and firmly made, and the feet are slender and feeble in comparison with 

 the dimensions of the body. 



