Common Birds of Western Himalayas 



Until recently all ornithologists agreed that 

 the curious starling-like bird known as the 

 spotted-wing (Psaroglossa spilopterd) was a 

 kind of aberrant starling, but systematists have 

 lately relegated it to the Crateropodidae. At 

 Mussoorie the natives call it the Puli. Its 

 upper parts are dark grey spotted with black. 

 The wings are glossy greenish black with 

 white spots. The lower parts are reddish. 

 A flock of half-a-dozen or more birds having 

 a starling-like appearance, which twitter like 

 stares and keep to the topmost branches of 

 trees, may be set down safely as spotted- 

 wings. 



We now come to the last of the Cratero- 

 podidae — the bulbuls. These birds are so dif- 

 ferent from most of their brethren that they 

 are held to constitute a sub-family. I presume 

 that every reader is familiar with the common 

 bulbul of the plains. To every one who is 

 not, my advice is that he should go into the 

 verandah in the spring and look among the 

 leaves of the croton plants. The chances are 

 in favour of this search leading to the discovery 

 of a neat cup-shaped nest owned by a pair of 

 handsome crested birds, which wear a bright 

 crimson patch under the tail, and give forth at 



49 d 



