BuLBULS. 99 



XVI. 



BULBULS. 



By Dr. A. G. Butler. 



Allhough I have onlj' had the pleasure of studying four, 

 or if we include the Spotted-wing (which certainly is an aberrant 

 Bulbul), five species of this delightful group of ])irds, I think 

 perhaps my experience in keeping them may not be valueless. 



The Bulbuls (Pycnonotince) or Eastern Nightingales belong 

 to the so-called Babbling-Thrushes, and, ou account of their 

 short legs, they have been placed in a family to which the name 

 Rraxhypodida; \\9.'~, g\\Q.\\. In their strong hard bills and general 

 appearance they are rather Tit-like in character and the resem- 

 blance of the Indian form of Pycno7iohis lezicotis to Parus major 

 is quite as great as between man}- mimics among birds, the crest 

 of the Bulbul being the most obvious difference between the two. 



As captive birds 'C\i^ Pyaionothics are extremeh' fascinating, 

 being naturalh' hard3% easy to provide for, generally of a con- 

 fiding nature, always musical, and in the case of the Persian 

 form of P. lencotis noted for melodious song, and I should judge, 

 provided that true sexes are secured, by no nieans difiicult to 

 induce to breed in an aviary ; the behaviour of \wy Red-vented 

 Bulbul in trying to assume parental duties towards a nest of 

 young Blue-birds would seem to justify this conclusion. 



Although Dr. Sharpe, in his Catalogue of Timeliine birds, 

 records no difierences between the sexes of the Bulbuls beyond 

 size (and even then only in some of the species), although also 

 he frequently asserts that there is no difference in plumage, I 

 must confess that when one compares undoubted sexes of some 



