280 JOURNAL, BOMBAY NATURAL HIST, SOCIETY, Vol. XXVIII. 
92. Pycnonotus gularis, The only specimen I have seen was on the 24th 
March, near the top of the Northern slopes. 
A. P. KINLOCH. 
NELLIAMPATHIES, 
8th April 1921. 
No. XV—ROOSTING HABITS OF THE COMMON BABBLER 
(ARGYA CAUDATA). 
The other evening, early May, at dark dusk, sitting in my garden, I saw three 
shadows go into a thick (leaf and flowers) branch of a pim tree about 7 feet from 
the ground. Shortly 4 or 5 more arvived, from a different direction, which [ 
could just make out to be the ordinary “* Seven sisters’. I gave them time tc 
settle and then went with a hurricane lantern to look. I found the birds sitting 
in a row all heads the same way and so tight together that one who drew breath 
out of time must have waked all the others. It really looked more like a close 
brown fur ‘‘ boa ”’ with pale bird faces struck on. They did not mind the light 
held within about 6 to 10 inches of them, nor did they mind my wife and two 
other ladies making audible remarks about them. They were in the same place 
and same position for about a week after I found them. 
A. G. FRERE., ta. Masor, 
Sr. Toomas’ Moun?, 
4th June 1621. 
No. XVI—BEHAVIOUR OF THE WHITE-CHEEKED BULBUL (MOL. 
PASTES LEUCOGENYS) WHEN ITS YOUNG IS IN DANGER ; 
AND THE (?} PARENTAL INSTINCT OF LOVE FOR THE 
OFFSPRING DISPLAYED BY THE DARK-GREY 
BUSH-CHAT (ORHICOLA FERREA.) 
The habit among parent birds with eggs or young of simulating injury when one 
approaches the eggs or young, as the case may be, seems to be one that is 
practised by various species that are widely different from each other. The 
Plovers possess this “‘ injury feigning instinct ”, and Mr. Dewar says that it is 
best developed in the Pratincoles. But there are some other familiar Indian 
birds which behave in a similar manner, For example, the late Mr. Dodsworth 
recorded an interesting note on the behaviour of the Short-billed Minivet (Peri- 
crocotus brevirostris) when its nest is in danger (Vide J.B.N.H.S,, Vol. XX, No. 
2. pp. 156, 157). Such an instance seems very unusual, Recently I had an ex- 
perience which provides another example of the fact that some of our commonest 
Indian birds pretend (?) to be damaged. I do not know why it is, but the habit 
of feigning injury seems to be one usually associated with birds of the plover type. 
In this case the birds were White-cheeked Bulbuls (Molpastes lewcogenys). 
On the 10th July I was going for an early morning stroll in the grounds of the 
Imperial Secretariat at ‘‘ Gorton Castle” in the hopes of finding nests of Molpastes 
leucogenys and Trochalopterum lineatum, but in this I was unsuccessful. While 
examining a large wild-rose bush, I noticed a bulbul on an adjoining deodar, and 
on coming under the rose-bush, another bulbul flew out from it. I thought per- 
haps that there was a nest, especially as the two bulbuls on seeing me set up an 
alarm which made me feel all the more convinced. Although I searched the 
bush carefully I found no nest, but eventually I had the good fortune to spy a 
young bulbul. To try and capture it was now my aim ; but it gave me a good 
chase and finally succeeded in making good its escape by flying on to a low bush 
