232 BIRDS OF THE PLAINS 



in the middle. There is also an Otocompsa with a 



yellow patch under the tail. 



This division of a species or genus into a nun:iber 

 of races or nearly allied species is interesting as 

 showing one of the ways in which new species arise 

 in Nature quite independently of natural selection. 

 It is unreasonable to suppose that the extension 

 into the neck of the black of the head in the Punjab 

 bulbul and its non-extension in the Madras bulbul 

 are due to the action of natural selection in each 

 locality, that a bulbul with black in its neck is unfitted 

 for existence in Madras. 



Whenever a group of animals becomes isolated from 

 its fellows, it almost invariably develops peculiarities 

 which are of no help to it in the struggle for existence. 

 Thus isolation is the cause of the origin of dialects 

 and languages. A dialect is an incipient language, 

 even as a race is a potential species. 



But let us return to our bulbuls. The habits of both 

 Otocompsa and Molpastes are so similar that we can 

 speak of them together. They are what Mr. Finn 

 calls thoroughly nice birds. They are, none of them, 

 great songsters, but all continually give forth exceed- 

 ingly cheery notes. The twittering of the red-whiskered 

 bulbuls is not the least of the charms of our southern 

 hill stations. 



Bulbuls feed on insects and berries, so are apt to be 

 destructive in gardens. They built nests of the ortho- 

 dox type — cups of the description always depicted on 

 Christmas cards. These are built anywhere, without 

 much attempt at concealment. Rose bushes are a 



