CR1NIGEB. 363 



were already hard-set. The nests, which were taken in dense forest 

 in amongst the heaviest undergrowth, -were placed in low bushes on 

 the hanks of, or close to, forest streams. They were bulky cups 

 of leaves, roots, twigs, moss etc. with a (hick lining of bamboos, 

 inside which again there was a true lining of roots both fine and 

 coarse. The eggs, two in number in each case except once when 

 there were three, are very beautiful. The ground-colour varies 

 from a pale wine-coloured pink to the deepest salmon and the 

 whole surface is more or less covered with blotches, smudges and 

 a few spots and scrawls of deep bright red. The surface is 

 intensely glossy, the shell hard and fine and in shape they are 

 rather long ovals, generally well pointed at the smaller end. 

 Nine eggs average 25-2 x 18'5 mm. 



Habits. Similar to those of the better-known C. t. flaveolus 

 from the Sub-Himalayas. They are birds of dense evergreen 

 forests at low levels, go about in small flocks in the non-breeding 

 season and are very noisy birds. They keep much to the lower 

 trees and undergrowth. 



(380) Criniger tephrogenys flaveolus. 

 THE INDIAN WHITE-THROATED BULBUL. 



Trichophorus Jlaveolus Gould, P.Z. S., 1836, p. 6 (India) (Cachar). 

 Criniger flaveolus. Blanf. & Gates, i, p. 255. 



Vernacular names. Kussap-eecldop-pho (Lepcha) ; Dao-balip- 

 gurrmo-didi (Cachari). 



Description. Differs from the last in having the upper plumage 

 more green, the edges of the feathers being distinctly olive-green; 

 the lower surface is a bright yellow, the chin and upper throat 

 alone being white ; there is a white supercilium always present 

 and sometimes quite conspicuous. 



Colours of soft parts. Irides deep red ; bill pale greyish blue, 

 gape and mouth still paler; legs greyish-horny, pale bluish-horny 

 or fleshy-grey. 



Measurements. Total length about 210 to 220 mm. ; wing 88 to 

 96mm.; tail about 83 mm.; tarsus about 18 to 20 mm. ; culmen 

 17 to 18 mm. 



Distribution. The Sub-Himalayas from Garhwal and Nepal, 

 where it is apparently very rare, to the East of Assam, North and 

 South of the Brahmaputra, Manipur and Tippera. 



Nidification. This fine Bulbul breeds in some numbers in all 

 the ranges of hills south of Assam from 1,000 feet, or even lower, 

 to above 5,000 feet. At first I took most of my nests at higher 

 elevations but later, when I knew the bird's habits better, I found 

 it extremely common below 2,000 feet and many nests were 

 taken in the ever-wet, deep forests of the lower valleys. They 

 were almost always placed near running water and a favourite 



