24 GARDEN AND AVIARY BIRDS. 
next in order of treatment. Bulbuls are birds of very 
graceful form and movements; in size they are rather 
larger than Sparrows; their wings are short but broad, 
and their tails are long, and nearly even at the tip, instead 
of being forked or tapering as is usually the case with 
longish tails. Their bills are rather slight than stout, and 
of moderate length: their legs are decidedly short. They 
usually have crests, bushy or pointed, as the case may be. 
Cock and hen are alike in plumage. 
The White-eared Bulbul shown on Plate V (Fig. 3) 
will give a good general idea of their appearance, and 
they are all much of the same style, and easy to recognize 
Usually they have a patch of bright colour under the tail. 
They are sociable birds, with a graceful, but not rapid 
flight ; they seldom come on the ground, where they look 
awkward hopping about on their short legs ; but on trees 
and bushes they are lively and active, and quite the most 
ornamental small birds in India, although their colours are 
usually sober. They feed mostly on fruit, berries, buds, 
etc., and are not to be encouraged in a fruit and vegetable 
garden ; but they take insects also, and feed the young 
on these. They do not hold their food in their feet like 
Babblers. Their nests are open and made of twigs and 
fibres and their eggs are usually pink with red spots. One 
or other species is found all over India, and Africa has many 
species of its own as well. In captivity they are easy to 
keep on any soft food and fruit, but unless hand-reared are 
usually wild and uninteresting, and not at all desirable. 
THe Common Rep-ventED Buiput (Molpastes ben- 
galensis), 18 one of the most familiar birds in Calcutta. 
