Bulbuls 663 



the Philippines; but they are by no means unrepresented in the Ethiopian region, 

 which possesses exclusively half a dozen or more of the thirty-five or forty genera 

 and nearly a hundred of the two hundred and fifty species. In the large genus 

 Criniger (which, by the \vay, has been recently subdivided), or the White- 

 throated Bulbuls, the head is ornamented by a long, pointed crest and a num- 

 ber of very long "hairs" which spring from the nape, while the plumage is 

 very soft and fluffy. One of the best-known is the Himalayan White- throated 

 Bulbul (C. flaveolus] of the eastern Himalayas, which has the upper parts 

 olive-green, the crest olive-brown, each feather being edged with olive-green, 

 the throat and chin white, and the under parts bright yellow. They are soci- 

 able birds, frequenting the forests in flocks of six to a dozen, and are very 

 noisy, their notes being harsh and constantly repeated. 



One of the most remarkable members of the group is the Hairy-backed 

 Bulbul (Tricholestes criniger} of Tenasserim, the Malay Peninsula, and large 

 islands to the southward, which is known by the numerous long hairs which 

 spring from the back; it is mainly olive-green above with brownish wings and 

 yellow under parts. It is a very tame bird, frequenting brushwood in small 

 parties and subsisting mainly on insects. Passing over the so-called Black 

 Bulbuls (Hypsi petes], which have the plumage gray or dark brown, the bill 

 red, and the tail slightly forked, and the nearly related Brown-eared Bulbuls 

 (Hemixus), all of which are noisy birds found mainly in the forests, we come to 

 the large genus Mol pastes, the members of which are remarkable for bright color 

 of the under tail-coverts. Of these the "Ceylon Nightingale," or Madras Bulbul 

 (M.fuscus), already mentioned, is one of the best known, being equally abundant 

 throughout nearly the whole of India; it is mainly brown in coloration, with 

 most of the feathers edged with white, though the head is deep black, the abdo- 

 men and upper tail-coverts white, and the under tail-coverts crimson. Accord- 

 ing to Oates, "it breeds from February to August, constructing a flimsy but 

 pretty nest of dry leaves and grass in bushes, creepers, or the lower branches of 

 trees," and lays usually three eggs, which are pale pink marked with reddish 

 brown and gray. 



Typical Bulbuls. In the typical genus (Pycnonotus), or the one which is 

 the basis of the family name, the thirty or more forms are divided between 

 eastern Asia and Africa, and may be known by the generally smaller size and 

 practically crestless head. Although there are a few of brilliant coloration, 

 the majority are rather dull, brown, black, or olive-green upper parts and 

 white or yellow lower parts being the more frequent colors. They are in general 

 less sociable than many of those already mentioned, and are very arboreal, it 

 being a rare occurrence to observe them on the ground. One of the commoner 

 birds of the Malayan region is the Yellow-vented Bulbul (P. analis), which Mr. 

 Whitehead found very abundant in Labuan. He says: "These Bulbuls are 

 seen toward evening in swarms going through the mango trees, where they 

 roost in large flocks; at this time they are very noisy. They are common enough 

 in Kina-Balu at low elevations, and I have seen a Dusauan boy go out of an 

 evening and catch three or four with his 'gutta' stick." The nest of this species 



