THE BULBULS. 25 
This is a largish bird as Bulbuls go, being about nine 
inches long, and very picturesque in appearance, with its 
full black crest and black tail tipped with white and set 
off by a white patch over the root and a crimson one below ; 
the general body colour is drab with light edges, running 
into jet black on the head and neck. The young birds 
are more rusty in colour, and have the patch under the 
tail cinnamon instead of red. When taken from the 
nest just before they can fly, they are easily reared, and 
make very nice pets, becoming so tame that they can be 
left at complete liberty, when they will follow one about. 
The natives keep this bird for fighting, confined by a soft 
string tied round the middle of its body. All over India 
Bulbuls resembling this type, but not quite so large and 
with black more restricted to the head, are among the 
commonest birds ; and for the purpose of this little work 
it is not necessary to go into the rather minute distinctions 
between them. 
Tue RED-WHISKERED BULBUL 1s a very striking type 
of bird, which is found in two species or varieties. Its 
size is less than that of the dark red-vented Bulbuls, and 
its back brown, while its underparts are pure white; in 
Western India there is a dark band across the breast and 
no white tips to the tail-feathers, while in the Bengal and 
Burmese birds the white is unbroken, and the tail has 
white tips. The former species is Otocompsa fuscicaudata, 
and the latter Otocompsa emeria. The long black crest, 
red cheek-patches, and red patch under the tail, which 
both possess, mark them off at once and make them 
easily recognizable. Young birds have no red on the 
