HEMIXUS. 263 



Habits, $*c. Breeds from March to June, making a shallow cup- 

 like nest of grass and leaves in trees at all heights up to about 60 

 feet from the ground. The eggs are usually only two in number, 

 and resemble those of H. psaroides. They measure 1*08 by '75, 



Genus HEMIXUS, Hodgs., 1844. 



The genus Hemixus, of which H. flavala is the type, contains 

 five Indian species closely related to each other. It differs from 

 Hypsipetes in having the tail square or slightly rounded, and its 

 outer feathers straight. The crest consists of a great number of 

 short but sharply-pointed feathers. The nuchal hairs are short and 

 indistinct, but the rictal bristles are strong. The wing is pointed, 

 the secondaries falling short of the tip by a considerable distance. 



The birds of this genus do not habitually frequent forests and 

 high trees like the Black Bulbuls, but they are found chiefly on the 

 outskirts of forests and in secondary jungle. They are chiefly fruit- 

 eaters. 



Key to the Species. 



a. Tail dark brown. 



a'. Whole upper plumage ashy H.flavala, p. 263. 



b 1 '. Whole upper plumage brown H. davisoni, p. 264. 



c'. Head black, contrasting with the ashy 



back H. hildebrandi, p. 264. 



b. Tail green. 



d' '. Throat whitish ; remainder of lower plu- 

 mage pale rufous H. macckllandi, p. 265. 



e'. Throat and whole lower plumage more or 



less uniformly grey H. tichelli, p. 265. 



272. Hemixus flavala. The Brown-eared Bulbul. 



Hemixus flavala, Hodgs. J. A. S. B. xiv, p. 572 (1845) ; Blyth, Cat. 

 p. 207 ; Horsf. & M. Cat. i, p. 250 ; Jerd. B. I. ii, p. 80 ; Blyth, 

 Birds Burm. p. 133 ; Godiv.-Aust. J. A. S. B. xxxix, pt. ii, p. 106, 

 xlv, pt. ii, p. 78 ; Hume, S. F. v, p. Ill ; Anders. Yunnan Exped., 

 Aves, p. 657 ; Hume, Cat. no. 448 ; Sadly, S. F. viii, p. 295 ; Sharpe, 

 Cat. B. M. vi, p. 49 ; Oates, B. B. i, p. 175 ; Hume, S. F. xi, p. 176. 



NdUi-pindi, Lepch. 



Fig. 84. Head of H. flavala. 

 Coloration. Upper plumage with the small wing-coverts dark 



