NIGHTINGALES IN INDIA 147 



Now, as a matter of fact, the Indian bulbul has 

 nothing whatever to do with the nightingale. There 

 can, I think, be but little doubt that the Persian 

 poets have misapplied the word " bulbul " in using it 

 to denote the nightingale. The term " bulbul " is 

 familiar to every native of India as meaning one of 

 the Brachypodous birds belonging to the genera 

 Molpastes, Otocompsa, etc., and as there are true 

 bulbuls in Persia, one of which, Molpastes lencotis, 

 is a good singer, it is probable that the poets, who are 

 notoriously bad naturalists, have misapplied the 

 name of this songster to an even better singer, namely, 

 the nightingale. And this name, having been im- 

 mortalised by Hafiz and others, will always remain. 

 We must, therefore, be careful to distinguish between 

 the true bulbuls, which are not very brilhant singers, and 

 the nightingale, which in India is known as the hulhul 

 hostha, or hulhul hasta. Numbers of Persian nightingales 

 are captured and sent in cages to India, where they are 

 highly prized on account of their vocal powers. A 

 good singing cock will fetch as much as Rs. 400 in 

 Calcutta. The cock nightingale alone sings, and 

 as he is indistinguishable in appearance from the 

 hen, a would-be purchaser, before paying a long 

 price for one of these birds, should insist on hearing 

 it sing. Nightingales thrive in captivity if provided 

 with a plentiful supply of insect food. The Western 

 and Eastern forms have both bred in captivity, and 

 the Persian variety will doubtless do likewise if given 

 proper accommodation. 



Indian bulbuls, then, are not nightingales. Nor 



