IOEA TIPHIA. 



(THE COMMON BUSH-BULBUL*.) 



Iora tiphia, Linn. Syst. Nat. i. p. 331 (1770) ; Blyth, Cat. B. Mus. A. S. B. p. 214 (1849); 



Horsf. & Moore, Cat. B. Mus. E. I. Co. i. p. 266 (1854) ; Layard, Ann. & Mag. Nat. 



Hist. 1853, xii. p. 267 ; Jerdon, B. of Lid. ii. p. 103 (1863) ; Armstrong, Str. Feath. 



1876, p. 326 ; Hume, ibid. 1877, p. 428. 

 Iora multicolor, Gmelin, Syst. Nat. Linn. i. p. 924 (178S). 

 Iora zeylonica, Gmelin, Syst. Nat, Linn. i. p. 964 (1788) ; Blyth, Cat. B. Mus. A. S. B. 



p. 213 (1849); Kclaart, Prodromus, Cat. p. 121 (1852); Layard, Ann. & Mag. Nat. 



Hist. 1853, xii. p. 267 ; Horsf. & Moore, Cat. B. Mus. E. I. Co. i. p. 267 (1854) ; Jerdon, 



B. of Ind. ii. p. 101 (1863) ; Holdsw. P. Z. S. 1872, p. 452 ; Butler, Str. Feath. 1875, 



p. 473. 

 Iora scapularis, Horsf. Trans. Linn. Soc. iii. p. 152 (1S21). 

 JEgithina zeylonica, Hume, Str. Feath. 1873, p. 438. 

 JEgithina typhia, Ball, Str. Feath. 1874, p. 411 ; Hume, Nests and Eggs, ii. p. 295 (1874) ; 



id. Str. Feath. 1875, p. 129. 

 The Green Indian Warbler, The Ceylon Warbler, and The Green-rumped Finch (Latham); 



The Ceylon Blackcap, Brown ; The Ceylon Bush-creeper, Kelaart ; The Black-headed 



Green Buibul and The White-winged Green Bulbul, Jerdon. Shoubiga, Hind. ; Patsu 



jitta, Telugu ; Pacha pora, Tarn, in India, lit. " Green Bird ; " Chak tick, Bengal. (Jerd.). 

 Kirikahaye and Ka-kurul la, lit. "Yellow Bird," Sinhalese (Layard); Mam palla kuruvi, 



Ceylonese Tamuls, lit. " Mango-fruit Bird." 



Adult male and female. Length 5'2 to 5 - G inches; wing 2" 4 to 2 - 6 ; tail l - 7 to 2 # ; tarsus 0-8; mid toe and claw 

 nil; bill to gape 0-72 to 075. 



Mai. (black plumage). Iris grey, mottled with brown, occasionally hazel-brown ; bill, upper mandible black, with a 

 clearly defined blue edge ; lower mandible dusky blue with a bluish margin ; legs and feet slate-blue, claws black. 



September (Colombo). Lores, top of the head, hind neck, wings, and tail deep black ; the back and rump intermixed 

 with dark olive-green, the centres of the feathers being of this colour ; the terminal half of the median wing- 

 coverts, the tips of the greater coverts, and the inner webs of the lower scapulars white (the latter forming a 

 concealed tuft, except when the bird is in flight); middle primaries with a faint white edge; face, ear-coverts, 

 throat, sides of neck, and under surface, with the under tail-coverts, rich yellow, most brilliant on the throat and 

 dust ; lower flank-feathers white and much elongated ; under surface of quills at the base white. 



This example, in which the breeding-plumage is as perfect as in any that I have seen from Ceylon, is in moult and 

 putting mi the dark upper surface^ the greater wing-coverts are more tipped in one wing than in the other. The 

 iris is quite brown. An individual shot in January (Colombo) is in the same plumage, but the greater wing- 

 coverts are more tipped with white ; the iris is hazel, mottled with grey. Another, shot in October (Colombo), 

 is in the dark dress, but the back-feathers are merely smeared with black, imparting a sooty-green appearance, 

 and the lower wing-bar is wider than in the two foregoing; the yellow of the under surface is not nearly so 

 brilliant, which is invariably the case when the upper surface is not very black. 



image : June (Galle). Iris grey ; bill, legs, and feet as above; head, hind neck, back, and rump olive-green, 

 slightly smeared with black on the tips of the nape-feathers ; wings and tail black, the upper wing-band broad, 



s This seems to me to be the most suitable name to apply to this species. 



