100 Pkacticai, Bikd-Keeping. 



of the species side by side, the difference in colouring seems to 

 me sufficiently marked to make one wonder how it could fail to 

 be noted : but, apart from colouring, the outline of the bill in the 

 two sexes differs so markedly, that the would-be breeder ought 

 to have no difficulty in selecting sexes. 



In choosing a pair the aviculturist should select as male 

 the larger bird with short robust bill, its culmen well arched, 

 that of the female being longer, more slender and with the 

 culmen only slightly arched ; the tone of the brown colouring 

 usually differs somewhat, and when the under tail-coverts are 

 rosy, the male has that colouring better defined, brighter and 

 covering a larger area ; I cannot say whether a similar difference 

 obtains in the yellow-vented species as I have not possessed 

 females for comparison. 



The nests of Bulbuls are cup-shaped and usually are built 

 in bushes, creepers, low branches of trees or even upon stumps; 

 an aviary well furnished with foliage of various kinds would 

 therefore be most suitable for breeding purposes: although the 

 adults feed largely on fruit and, as compared with many insec- 

 tivorous birds, somewhat sparingly upon insects, it is probable 

 that the young in their early life would be fed upon insects alone 

 and chiefly insects in the larval stage. 



If Bulbuls are desired only for song, I should certainly 

 recommend the Persian form of the White-eared Bulbul, which 

 is deservedly noted in prose and poetry as a grand songster : 

 some of its water-bubble notes remind one strongly of the 

 European Nightingale {Dmdhis luscbiia): the somewhat smaller 

 N.W. Indian form of the species is said not to sing anything like 

 so well, but as I have only kept the Persian bird, I cannot speak 

 authoritatively on this point; touching its smaller size, however, 

 I was convinced by the late Mr. Abrahams, who sent me a body 

 of the Indian bird for comparison with my living example ; 

 indeed the difference was so palpable, that I wondered at the 

 observation of the late Mr. Blanford that the Persian bird " may 

 perhaps run a little longer." 



If kept in a cage the latter should l:)e of a size large enotigh 

 to enable the bird both to use its wings freely and bathe at will. 

 Bulbuls are by nature tolerably active birds and they delight .in 



