ORNITHOLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS 259 



species of bulbuls were very common. Of these, two 

 belonged to the genus Molpastes, and appeared very 

 conspicuous from the bright colours of the under tail 

 coverts. In the Punjab red-vented bulbul these 

 feathers are a brilliant scarlet and in the white-cheeked 

 bulbul a bright sulphur yellow. They both remained 

 in the valley for the whole year and nested there 

 during the summer. The third species, known as 

 the Himalayan black bulbul, belonging to the genus 

 Hypsipetes, has a forked tail and is a sprightly and 

 active bird though of plainer plumage. During the 

 summer it deserts the valley and ascends into the 

 cooler forests. The cheerful notes of the bulbuls are 

 amongst the most pleasant sounds, and never were 

 they heard to greater advantage than when the birds 

 were robbing the fruit trees. They devour quantities 

 of seeds and fruits and are a pest to the gardener. 



I observed a striking case of the variability of avian 

 instinct in the case of the red-vented bulbul, Molpastes 

 intermedius. This little bird occupied the whole 

 district. It was of a dull unassuming colour save for 

 its conspicuous patch of red. The food of this species 

 consists largely of fruit that it finds on the ground. 

 But in the securing of its food it often adopts the 

 methods of other species of birds. I have seen this 

 bulbul hammering and chopping hard berries against 

 the branch of a tree in a manner resembling that of 

 a nuthatch. It hammered with such force that the 

 sound of the blows could be heard fifty feet away. 

 I have seen it climbing skilfully and exploring the 

 trunks of the pine trees as though it was a woodpecker, 

 and often capturing insects on the wing with all the 

 enthusiasm of a flycatcher. Few instincts can be 



