THE BABBLERS 



1689 



and Southeastern Asia, seven species occurring within the Indian Empire. One of 

 the best known is the gold-fronted green bulbul ( Chloropsis aurifrons) , which forms 

 an excellent cage bird. Feeding upon the insects which it picks off the surfaces of 

 leaves, this bird is exceedingly difficult to detect amid a profusion of foliage, since 

 its bright grass-green plumage harmonizes closely with the green leaves. It lives in 

 pairs or singly. Its range extends over a considerable portion of Bengal and the 

 adjacent States, as well as British Burma and an outlying portion of the spurs of 

 the Himalayas. Jerdon states that it has a sweet song, and is also an excellent 

 mimic of the notes of other birds. Mr. Gates gives the following description of the 



PALESTINE AND WHITE-NECKED BUI.BUI.S. 

 (One-half natural size.) 



male: "The forehead and front of the crown orange yellow, ear coverts and lower 

 throat black, chin and upper throat purplish blue; a yellow collar passes round the 

 black of the throat; the remainder of the plumage is bright green." 



The true bulbuls of which there are several genera, among which 

 Pycnonotus may be regarded as typical, form a subfamily (Brachy- 

 podma), differing from the preceding by the following characteristics: The sexes 

 are alike. The metatarsus is very short, and never exceeds the length of the middle 

 toe and its claw; while the wing is rounded and moderately long, and the nape gen- 



True Bulbuls 



