MICKOSCELIS. 371 



grey. The texture is neither very fine nor very close ; the gloss 

 is but slight or even altogether absent and the normal shape is a 

 rather long, well-pointed oval. Fifty eggs average 26'2 x 19*1 mm. 

 and the extremes are 28'2x20'0, 23'8xl8-7 and 25-2 x 

 18'3 mm. The longest egg is also the broadest. 



Habits. The Himalayan Black Bulbul is the exact opposite of 

 the White-throated Bulbul in most of its ways. It is equally 

 noisy and equally discordant in its notes but it is essentially a 

 bird of high tree-tops, a percher and not a climber, a free and 

 fairly easy flyer and largely vegetarian in its diet. The nectar of 

 flowers, which Gates says it takes, is probably swallowed together 

 with the numerous small insects which frequent these same 

 flowers and upon which the Bulbuls feed. It goes about regularly 

 in flocks all through the winter, sometimes two flocks combining 

 where food is plentiful, and they have a curious follow-my-leader 

 style when flying from one tree to another. It is a very bold bird 

 and has no objection to being watched but it is naturally restless 

 and unless on some tree, such as a Bombax in flower, which offers 

 particularly fascinating food, soon flits away out of sight. 



It is never found except in really well-forested hills and 

 mountains which it ascends to about 9,000 feet elevation. 



387) Microscelis psaroides nigrescens. 

 THE ASSAM BLACK BULBUL. 



Hypsipetes ptaroides nigrescens Stuart Baker, Bull. B. O. C., xxxviii, 

 p. 15 (1917) (Upper Chindwin). 



Vernacular names. Dao-bulip gashim (Cachari). 



Description. Differs from M. p. psaroides in being very much 

 darker both above and below ; at the same time it is a paler bird 

 than M. p. concolor and has the black crown and the head dis- 

 tinctly defined from the paler, blackish grey of the back. 



Colours of soft parts and Measurements much as in the last, 

 though they average a little bigger. 



Distribution. South Assam, Manipur, Arrakan and the 

 Northern Chin Hills apparently as far East as the Chindwiu, but 

 not to the Irrawaddy. It is also found in North-East Assam and 

 the Abor Hills. 



Nidification. Similar to that of the last bird but moss seems to 

 be far more used in the construction of the nest and in some cases 

 this material forms practically the whole of the nest. Like 

 the last bird this also is one of the very few that employ pine- 

 needles as a lining to their nests. The eggs cannot be distin- 

 guished from those of the Himalayan race. 100 average 27*1 X 

 19-7 mm., with extremes of 29'0xl9'2, 27-0x20-5, 24-7x19-3 

 and 25-8x18 mm. 



Habits. Those of the genus. It is found up to 6,000 or 7,000 

 feet and descends almost to the plains. It was common in Mar- 

 gherita at about 700 feet and in the winter in N. Lakhimpur 

 extends well into the plains. 



