Genus RUBIGULA. 



Bill short, stout, rather straight ; rictal bristles moderate. Wings short and rounded ; the 

 4th and 5th quills equal and longest. Tail nearly even at the tip. Legs and feet small. Tarsus 

 feathered just below the knee, as in the preceding genus ; toes short ; claws long and acute. 



A portion of the back of the neck bare, but overlaid by the occipital feathers. Nuchal 

 hairs short. 



RUBIGULA MELANICTERA. 



(THE BLACK-HEADED BULBUL.) 



(Peculiar to Ceylon.) 



Muscicapa melanictera, Gmelin, Syst. Nat. i. p. 941 (1788). 



JEgitHna atricapilla, Vieill. N. Diet. i. p. 176 (1816). 



lora nigricapilla, Drapiez, Diet. Class, vi. p. 170 (1840). 



Rubigula aberrans, Blyth, J. A. S. B. 1846, xv. p. 287. 



Pycnonotus atricapillus, Blyth, Cat. B. Mus. A. S.B. p. 211 (1849) ; Layard, Ann. & Mag, 



Nat. Hist. 1854, xiii. p. 125. 

 Pycnonotus nigricapillus, Kelaart, Prodromus, Cat. p. 123 (1852). 

 Rubigula gularis, Kelaart, I. c. 

 Rubigula melanictera, AValden, Ibis, 1866, p. 316 ; Blyth, ibid. 1867, p. 304 ; Legge, J. A. S. 



(Ceylon Br.) 1870-71, p. 44 ; Holdsworth, P. Z. S. 1872, p. 452 ; Legge, Ibis, 1874, 



p. 20 ; id. Str. Feath. 1875, p. 368; id. Ibis, 1875, p. 396. 

 Yellow-breasted Flycatcher, Brown, 111. pi. 32 ; Le Cap negre, Le Vaill. pi. 140 ; Le Gobe- 



mouche noir etjaune de C'eilan, St. Croix ; Black-capped Tanager, Latham. 

 Ka-kurulla, Sinhalese in Western Province. 



3 ad. supra saturate flavicauti-viridis, uropygio et supracaudalibus latius flavis : tectricibus alarum dorso concoloribus, 

 majoribus et pritnariis brunneis lastiore flavo limbatis, secundariis dorsi colore lavatis : rectricibus nigricanti- 

 brunneis, versus basin olivascentibus et olivaceo lavatis, onmibus (duabus mediis exceptis) albo terminatis, ex- 

 terioribus latius apicatis : pileo haud cristato nuchaque nitide nigris : loris, facie laterali, genis et regione parotica 

 nigris : corpore subtus toto laete flavo, lateribus vix olivascenti lavatis : subalaribus et axillaribus flavis, majoribus 

 basaliter albis : remigibus infra brunneis, intus versus basin albicanti marginatis : rostro nigro : pedibus nigri- 

 canti-olivaceis : iride sordide rubra. 



Adult male and female. Length from 6-3 to 6-5 inches ; wing 2-7 to 2-9 ; tail 2'5 to 2-6 ; tarsus 06 ; mid toe and 

 claw 0-58 ; hind toe and claw 0-48 ; bill to gape 075 to 0-8. Females are the smaller of the sexes. 



Male. Iris dull red ; bill black ; legs and feet blackish. 



Female. Lis dark brown ; legs and feet deep plumbeous or blackish blue. 



Head and face, down to the level of the lower mandible, glossy black ; lower part of hind neck, back, scapulars, upper tail- 

 coverts, upper surface of tertials, and edges of quills dusky olivaceous green, palest on the rump, and with a 

 brighter or yellowish hue on the outer webs of the primaries ; the first primary and the tips and inner webs of 

 all the other quills brown ; tail blackish brown, edged, principally near the base, with the hue of the back, and 

 with a terminal white spot to all the feathers but the central pair, which are simply tipped with it ; chin, throat, 

 lower part of breast, abdomen, and under tail-coverts saffron-yellow ; the chest and flanks washed with olivaceous 

 green ; under wing-coverts and flexure of the wing yellow. 



