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a shining hyacinthine blue stripe on the cheek ; the forehead

bright gold, shading into the green of the crown ; the wings green

with just a suspicion of turquoise blue on the shoulder butts;

the flights brown ; tail, greenish black, tipped with greenish

grey ; bill, black and long and curved slightly ; feet, lead colour ;

iris, brown.


The hen is considerably smaller, and of a different shade

of green impossible to describe, but easy to see in the actual

specimen ; but she has certainly not got a green forehead, as

asserted by Dr. Butler, but a yellow one, a little duller perhaps

and slightly narrower than her mate’s. It is perfectly easy to

tell if you have a pair by their actions ; as two cocks would act

precisely like the celebrated cats of Kilkenny—they would kill

each other. The hen is so very seldom imported that it is quite

likely that Dr. Butler has never seen one (a).


Another certain sign of sex is the beautiful and varied

song of the cock ; those who have not had the pleasure of hear¬

ing him, have no idea of the extent of his power. The hen only

utters a harsh scolding note.


The Green Bulbuls are bright active birds and very amus¬

ing to watch. Mine are now in a good-sized indoor aviary where

they will remain all the winter ; and in the spring, if all goes

well, they will be turned out to take their luck, and maybe to

reproduce their kind.


I daily give the Fruitsuckers some mealworms, and they

are very keen after them. They have long prehensile tongues,

very much like the Australian Honeyeaters, and they use them

in the same way.


They are gentle inoffensive birds, and I don’t think they

could hurt a good able bodied bluebottle, unless they ate him.


Let me end with a little story. Some years ago a dealer

had about three of these Green Bulbuls in stock, very fine and

healthy; a rival dealer had none ; but not to be bested, as we say

up here, what do you think he did ? He inserted an advertise¬

ment in all the papers : “ Green Bulbuls—fine—30/- each ; don't



{a). Mr. Farrar is correctin stating that the forehead is not green ; but I should not

call it yellow, but rather dull orange. When I wrote my description I had no hen before

me, so referred to Jerdon’s Birds of India : I have however seen the hen. In the Calcutta

market this bird is by no means rare ; and can be purchased there, I believe, for about one

rupee. Some years ago our friend Mr. Housden brought me several of these birds (I forget

whether three or five! at a reasonable price; but I was not flush of money at the time, and

(not being ‘ reckless ’) restrained the longing which assailed me to possess one. Chlovopsis

malabaricus is not accounted a specially rare bird, even in the British Bird-market.—A.G.B.


Five were offered me the other day at 30/- each.—R.P.



