4. JOURNAL, BOMBAY NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY, Vol, VIII. 
appearance on such occasions, but continued to feed until I tried to approach still 
nearer, when they would fly away for a short distance and recommence feeding. 
The flight is rather quicker and straighter than most bulbuls’, but not as 
strong as, though more level than, that of Hypsipetes. 
It is nowhere very common, and is rather local in its habits. I have noticed 
that where Psarisomus is to be found, there are nearly always a few of these 
birds also. This species, however, keeps to the outskirts of the forest, and will 
not be found in the interior. Its favourite resort is scattered trees, with an 
undergrowth of grass (not bush). I have also seen it in thin scrub jungle, in 
cultivation jhums, and yery often amongst the jungle of nullas which are 
surrounded by open country. 
MicRoPUS MELANOCEPHALUS, 
THE BLACK-HEADED BULBUL. 
Brachypodius melanocephalus, Hume’s Cat. No. 457 67s.; Hume 
and Davison, 8. F., Vol. VI, p. 318; Micropus melanocephalus, 
Osta," Brot BAB.” Vol. 1p. 181 3 a.,: * fauna of BS, 1 Bods 
Vol. 1., p. 294, 
DescrrpTion.— Whole head and throat, extending to the upper breast, black, 
brilliantly glossed with blue and purple , remainder of upper plumage olive-green, 
brighter on the rump and yellow on the upper tail-coverts ; breast and flanks 
the same, shading into bright yellow on the belly and under tail-coverts. 
Tail olive-green for half its length, then black and tipped yellow, narrowly on 
the centre feathers and increasingly broadly on the others. 
Primary-coverts dull black, very narrowly edged olive-green ; other coverts 
wholly olive on the visible portions. Primaries and secondaries black, the first 
almost imperceptibly, the latter broadly-edged olive-green; the tertiaries, with the 
outer webs, all of this colour. 
The feathers of the rump and upper tail-coverts are very dark grey at the 
base and then black, the tips alone being broadly yellow, consequently the rump 
nearly always looks as if barred with black, though, in a perfect specimen, in 
which the rump feathers le properly, these black markings scarcely show at all. 
Bill very dark plumbeous, nearly black ; irides pale blue, varying a little in 
depth of colour, but never at all dark ; legs dark plumbeous, claws black, mouth 
and gape bluish, tinged fleshy occasionally. 
Length 6°8” to 7:1"; wing 3°2” to 3°35”; tail 3°3”; tarsus °5”; bill at 
front ‘55” and from gape °8”. 
Nivirication.—I have taken but one nest of this bird, and on this the male 
bird. was trapped. The nest might easily haye been mistaken for one of the 
