104 SPOLTA ZEYLANICA. 



Oriolus LUTEOLUS LUTEOLUS. 

 The Indian Black-headed Oriole. 



Oriolus melanocephalus (Oates, p. 506 ; Legge, p. 357). 



Description.— Male : Head, chin, throat, and fore-neck jet 

 black ; remainder of body plumage rich yellow ; winglet 

 black ; primary coverts black with yeUow tips ; wing quills 

 black, the primaries with narrow yellowish tips and margins, 

 which are almost invisible on the first few quills ; secondaries 

 with broad diagonal tips of brighter yellow, which increase on 

 the innermost quills ; tail yellow, with a broad patch of black 

 on the four central feathers and a smaller black area on the 

 third pair. 



In females the yellow of the back and breast is less bright 

 and generally tinged with green. 



In nestlings the feathers of the upper plumage are greenish 

 with yellow tips, the lower plumage is white streaked with 

 brown. As soon as the young are fully fledged, the yellow 

 tips on the upper plumage disappear, the streaks on the lower 

 plumage turn black, and the whole plumage becomes more 

 yellow. The adult dress is assumed gradually from this stage. 



Bill black in quite young birds, gradually changing to pink 

 in the adult ; iris brown in the young, crimson in adults ; 

 legs and feet dusky-bluish. 



Length 9*5; wing 5 ; tail 3*2; tarsus 1 ; bill from 

 gape 1*25. 



Distribution. — This Oriole is found over the whole of India, 

 except the north-west ; also in Burma, Ceylon, and the 

 Andamans. The present sub-species, from South India 

 and Ceylon, is distinguished by its smaller size, and the less 

 amount of yellow on the wing. It is found all over the Island, 

 wherever there are trees, either in gardens or forest, up to 

 about 6,000 feet and occasionally higher. 



Habits. — It is by no means shy, and may be seen close to 

 human habitations. The breeding season extends throughout 

 the north-east monsoon, from October to May. The nest is a 

 deepish cup of grass and strips of bark, suspended by the 

 rim from a horizontal fork at the extremity of a leafy branch. 

 The eggs are two in number, very rarely three. They are 



