BULBULS' NESTS I 135 



came quite boldly to the nest. The difference in 

 temperament between the two birds was most marked. 



The parent birds did not come to the nest with the 

 bill very full. They were usually content to bring one 

 succulent grub or insect at a time. 



In the earliest stages of their existence bulbul 

 nestlings are so small that one caterpillar satisfies their 

 hunger completely for some little time. So that it 

 often happened that one of the parents arrived with 

 food for which neither of the young birds was ready. 

 Under such circumstances, the parent, after trying 

 to force the food into the mouth of each nestling, 

 remained on the rim of the nest waiting patiently 

 until one of the youngsters lifted up its head for food. 

 The baby bulbuls did not display at this early stage 

 of their existence that eagerness for food, amounting 

 almost to greediness, that characterises nestlings 

 when they grow a little older. 



On arrival with food the adult bird invariably 

 uttered a couple of tinkling notes as if to inform its 

 offspring that it had brought food. No sound emanated 

 from the young birds during the first two or three 

 days of their existence. When it had disposed of 

 the food it had brought, the parent bird usually 

 looked after the sanitation of the nest by picking up 

 and eating the excreta. The parent birds did not 

 appear ever to bring water to the nestlings. The 

 succulent food probably supplies the requisite moisture. 

 About midday on the i6th July the third young bird 

 hatched out. The egg was intact at 10 a.m., but by 

 a few minutes after midday the youngster had 



