364 Canaries and Cage-Birds. 



THE WHITE-EARED BULBUL {Pycmnotus leucotis, Russ), North-west India. 

 Ixos letuotis. German name — " Hauben Bulbul," "Weissohrige Bulbul." 



THE RED-EARED BULBUL (Pycnonoius jocosiis, Russ), India. 



Lanius Jocostis, HeEmatornis jocostis, Ixos jocostis, Ixos montkolus, Ixos pyrrhotis, Turdiis jocosus, Otocompsa jocosa, Pynionottis 



sinensis, Pyrrhotis erythrotis. German name — " Rothbackige Bulbul," or " Schopfbulbul." 



RED-VENTED BULBUL {Pycnonohis hsmorrhous, Russ), India. 



A/uscicapa hamorrhousa, Ixos hcBmorrh, Ixos cafer, Hamatornis hamorrh. Ham. pusilhis, Hiem. chrysorrhoides, Brachypus 



harnorrhous. German name — " Rothbauchige Bulbul." 



SYRIAN BULBUL {Pycnonotus xanthopygos, Russ), Syria. 



Pyirnono/ns nigricans (Hiuss,), lurdus capmsis, Ixos nigricans, Ixos anrigaster, Ixos xanthopygos, Turdus nigricans, Pyc. aiirigaster. 



German name — " Arabische Bulbul," or " Goldsteissbulbul." 



The list of the Zoological Society names six Bulbuls, Dr. Russ mentions eight varieties, and 

 Dr. Brehm gives the names of no less than twenty-five. 



A highly-interesting relative of the true Bulbul, or Pycnonotus, is the wonderfully brilliant 



MALABAR GREEN BULBUL [Phyllornis aurifrons, Russ), India. 

 Chloropsis aiinfrous, Merops hurryla. German name — " Goldstirn Blattvogel." 



Very few cage-birds combine such a beautiful plumage with such qualities of song as this 

 bird does. The entire body is bright golden-green ; the face, round the beak, and extending 

 half over the head, bright orange ; chin and throat of a magnificent azure-blue tint, bordered by 

 a black band. 



How this bird comes to be called a Bulbul is one of those many riddles presented by the 

 nomenclature of birds. He is evidently a honey-sucker, as his long, slender, slightly-curved beak 

 shows, and as an examination of his peculiar brush-like long tongue will demonstrate. There are 

 five or six varieties of this bird, varying, however, in little except in size, all natives of the 

 enormous country extending from the Malabar coast to the Himalayas, to Assam, Burmah, and 

 over the Eastern Archipelago. 



As lately as 1874 the Zoological Gardens of London appear to have had the first live 

 specimen, and in the same year, if not a few months earlier, the Berlin Gardens had one. In the 

 following year the writer procured two, and since then the species has been imported more 

 frequently. But the Green Bulbul is not a bird easily kept in captivity. Of the two I purchased 

 in January, 1875, one died within a few weeks, having, however, enabled me to observe that two 

 of these gentle-looking birds, when put into one cage, will fight furiously without delay. My 

 surviving bird was exhibited in 1876 at the Crystal Palace for a day or two, and lived about 

 eighteen months, which is perhaps as long as any other specimen has endured. It was pleasant to 

 see a verj' good specimen exhibited, in fine condition, at the Crystal Palace in February, 1879. 



My treatment of Phyllornis aurifrons was based on the observation that the bird stood midway 

 between the Flycatcher and the Honeysucker. I gave him plenty of mealworms and fresh grapes. 

 Into the latter he would dip his beak, sucking the juice. The staple food consisted of dried ants' 

 eggs, soaked in water and mi.xed with honey, and a piece of sponge-cake soaked in water, pressed, 

 and then well mixed with a quantity of cayenne pepper. Other amateurs have tried to keep the 

 birds on boiled rice, much sweetened ; but birds thus fed seem not to have endured very long. 

 Nightingale food and figs have been tried with more success than rice diet. 



About the beauty of their song all those who heard it are agreed. 



