Practical Bird-Keeping.



236



And this brings me to the question of food :—as a staple

any good insectivorous food mixed with breadcrumbs and moist¬

ened is suitable, but Bulbuls are very fond of sweets and sponge¬

cake either dry or moistened or Madeira cake delights them

greatly, candied fruit also and especially apricot, gives them

great pleasure. They ought to have plenty of fresh ripe fruit in

variety—banana, sweet ripe pear or apple, orange or ripe fig and

grapes, although they seem to care less for these than many other

insectivorous birds do and sometimes leave them untouched.


Insects are usually acceptable but especially smooth cater¬

pillars, mealworms are also eaten with pleasure, but spiders

alone are able to arouse enthusiasm in these birds, sometimes

stimulating them to a song of rejoicing. Although most insects

are eaten with satisfaction (cockroaches are almost invariably

ignored), I do not find them a necessary item in the food for

adult Bulbuls; they will keep in perfect health for months to¬

gether without them. Of course if a Bulbul gets in the least out

of sorts, a few spiders will generally set it right in a day or two.


These birds are very pugnacious; indeed, as Jerdon tells

us, the Madras Bulbul is kept for fighting by the natives in the

Carnatic, and he says :—“ They fight sometimes with great spirit,

often, I am assured, seizing their antagonist by the red feathers,

and endeavouring to pull them out.” I11 1904, our late Editor

Mr. Seth-Smith gave me a second example of the Chinese

Bulbul, which, from its stouter build and duller colouring, we

thought might be a hen ; I turned it into the flight-cage with

my cock bird and the latter at once attacked it furiously, so that

I was obliged to separate them immediately: both proved to be

cock birds and used to sing one against the other until I gave

the plumper bird away.


Whether Bulbuls would be dangerous associates for smaller

birds in an aviary I cannot say, but they are no match for such

birds as Hangnests, which pursue and attack them to their hurt.

In a large aviary, planted with trees, shrubs and creepers I

should expect them to behave peaceably towards all excepting

birds of their own kind, still it would be wiser to test them first

with a few small and common species before running the risk of

having valuable birds killed.



