KEI^ARTIA.. 427 



Description. Forehead and crown dark brown or blackish, each 

 feather very narrowly edged with ashy ; a narrow white line from 

 the nostril to the upper part of the eye and a broad yellow streak 

 from that point to the nape ; chin and upper part of cheeks white ; 

 lores, ear-i'overts and lower part of cheeks black, the ear-coverts 

 with a streak of yellow down the middle; a large slaty-blue spot 

 on the neck next the ear-covei'ts ; upper plumage olive-green ; 

 wings and tail dark brown, the outer webs of the feathers washed 

 with olive-green ; the whole lower plumage, except the chin, deep 

 yellow, washed with olive on the breast and flanks ; under wing- 

 coverts and edge of wing yellow. 



Fig. 82. Head of K. penieillata. 



Colours of soft parts. Iris bright red, reddish brown or carmine; 

 bill black ; legs and feet dark plumbeous or dark bluish plumbeous. 



Measurements. Length about 190mm.; wing 80 to 85 mm.; 

 tail about the same ; tarsus about 20 mm. ; cuhnen about 15 mm. 



Distribution. Ceylon only. 



Nidification. This bird breeds in March and April, perhaps 

 also in other months, between the foot-hills and about 4,000 feet. 

 It makes a cup-shaped nest, rather shallow and flimsy, of dead 

 leaves, twigs and grass, which it suspends between a vertical fork 

 of an outer branch of some small sapling or high bush in the forest. 

 The eggs, which are always two in number, are like richly-coloured 

 eggs of lole icterica, that is to say the ground-colour is pale pink 

 and they are profusely covered all over with tiny longitudinal 

 specks of pale pinkish red with a few underlying ones of pale 

 lavender. Six eggs measure 22-3x16-8; 21-8xl7'0; 24'2 x 

 16-7; 23-6x16-3; 24-0x16-1; 23-2x16-0 mm. 



Habits. The Yellow-eared Bulbul is found principally in forests, 

 ascending as high as 7.000 feet but being most numerous between 

 2,000 and 4,000 feet. According to Legge it keeps to low jungle 

 and underwood rather than to the higher trees, is restless and 

 shy, yet inquisitive and has a note which he describes as " whee 

 whee, whee," quickly repeated. It is more a fruit- and seed-eater 

 than insectivorous but indulges sometimes in the latter diet. 



