MOLPASTES. 273 



hinder part and sides of the neck barred with blackish, and the 

 centres of the feathers brown : wings brown, edged with olive- 

 brown ; tail brown on the basal half, black on the terminal half, and 

 all the feathers except the two middle ones tipped with white ; 

 lower plumage pale earthy brown, whitish on the abdomen ; lower 

 tail-coverts bright sulphur-yellow ; edge of wing white. 



Bill black ; legs plumbeous ; iris brown (Jerdon) ; legs and toes 

 brownish black (Scully}. 



Length nearly 8 ; tail 3*5 ; wing 3*5 ; tarsus *8 ; bill from gape 

 85. 



Distribution. The Himalayas from Murree to Bhutan, from the 

 plains up to 7000 feet. This species extends into Afghanistan. 



Habits, $c. Breeds between 3000 and 7000 feet from April to 

 July, constructing a very loose and slender nest of stems of plants 

 and grass in a bush or branch a few feet above the ground. The 

 eggs are pinkish or reddish white marked with various shades of 

 red, and measure *88 by *65. 



285. Molpastes leucotis. The White-eared Bulbul. 



Ixos leucotis, Gould, P. Z. S. 1836, p. 6.' 



Pycnonotus leucotis (Old.), Blyth, Cat. p. 209; Horsf. $ M. Cat. i, 



p. 242; Sharpe,Cat. B. M. vi, p. 136. 

 Otoconipsa leucotis (Gld.\ Jerd. B. I. ii, p. 91; Hume, S. F. i, 



p. 181; id. N. 8f E. p. 286; Stoliczka, J. A. S. B. xli, pt. ii, 



p. 237; Adam, S. F. i, p. 378; Butler, S. F. iii, p. 473; Hume, 



Cat. no. 459 ; Barnes, Birds Bom. p. 187. 



Molpastes leucotis {Gould), Oates in Hume's N. fyE. 2nd ed. i, p. 177. 

 The White-eared Crested Bulbul, Jerd. ; Kanydhara, Beng.; Kushandra 

 or Kushanbra of the Punjab ; Bhooroo, Sind. 



Fig. 86. Head of M. leucotis. 



Coloration. Ear-coverts and hinder part of cheeks white ; with 

 this exception, the whole head and lower throat black, the black on 

 the latter expanding laterally, and joining the crown by a narrow 

 band at the end of the ear-coverts ; hind neck rich brown, nar- 

 rowly banded with bkckish ; whole upper plumage and wings 

 earthy brown, the back with paler margins, the wings margined 

 with pale ashy ; tail brown at base, becoming black beyond the 

 tail-coverts and tipped with white ; lower plumage whity brown ; 

 under tail-coverts rich saffron-yellow. 



Legs, feet, and bill black ; iris brown (Hume). 

 VOL. i. T 



