2 
among the bushes. The head and throat are of a deep black; and there is scarcely any 
perceptible difference between the sexes in plumage, but that the black on the head of the 
female is not quite so bright. It is the finest songster in Palestine, and has obtained the 
name of the Palestine Nightingale, which is well deserved, whether for the volume or the 
variety of its notes. It wants, however, the last two notes of the Nightingale’s song. On 
arriving at the banks of the Jordan long before sunrise, at 4 A.M., the thick jungle which 
fringes the river was alive with the cheery notes of these unseen musicians, who continued 
their concert until nearly noon.” He further writes (Ibis, 1865, p. 82) :—“ We found it plentiful 
in the Jordan valley, and in all the sheltered wadys and wooded lowlands on both sides of the 
river, as well as in the plains of Sharon, Acre, and Pheenicia, the glades of Carmel, and occa- 
sionally even in the sea-bound valleys of the Lebanon as far as Beyrout, but never in the hill 
~ country. I have never seen specimens from Egypt or Asia Minor, though I have met with it in 
a collection said to have been made in the Red Sea.” Captain Shelley did not meet with it 
in Egypt, though he includes it in his work; and Von Heuglin writes (Orn. N.O.-Afr. p. 399), 
‘‘it inhabits the date- and tamarisk-groves of Arabia Petreea and Arabia Felix, Wadi-Araba, 
Palestine, and Syria, where it appears to be resident; but we only had opportunities of seeing it 
during winter. In its habits it resembles P. arsinoe, but is more lively; its song is louder and 
more varied; and on account of this latter quality it is often kept in confinement.” Beyond the 
countries above named, I know of no locality where the present species is known to occur. 
Messrs. Finsch and Hartlaub (Vég. Ost-Afr. p. 297) unite the present species with 
Pycnonotus nigricans, Vieill.; it will therefore be necessary for me to state my reasons for 
keeping them distinct. Having a very rich series of both species before me, I find that they 
constantly differ as follows:—P. nigricans has the upper parts darker than in P. xanthopygus, 
and has the edge of the eyelid black, and not light-coloured. In P. nigricans the throat is 
dark brown and the breast lighter brown, the one shade gradually merging into the other, and 
the abdomen is pure white; whereas in P. xanthopygus the throat is black, and the breast very 
pale greyish brown, the division of the two colours being very sharply defined, and the abdomen 
is dull whitish or pale whity brown, not pure white. From the list at foot it will be seen how 
many specimens of the present species I have examined ; and I may add that I have had the use 
of a good series of Pycnonotus nigricans, for the loan of which I am indebted to Captain G. E. 
Shelley. 
Respecting the habits of the present species I find but little on record beyond the data 
above given; but Canon Tristram adds (Ibis, 1865, p. 81) the following particulars respecting 
its nidification:—‘“‘It is never gregarious, but scattered throughout the year in pairs, and 
commences its song soon after Christmas. For its music it well merits the name of Bulbul; 
and I never heard a finer songster, except the Nightingale, which it much resembles in power 
and variety of note. It is easily approached, and by no meaus so shy as most of the Turdidee 
The nest is very small and neat, placed either in the small fork of a tree or on a side branch, 
and covered externally to match the bark of the branch on which it rests. In character and 
structure it much resembles that of the Chaffinch. The eggs are three, seldom four; and while 
some pairs have hatched their young in March, others do not lay till towards the end of April. 
The egg partakes of the beautiful character of all the Pycnonotide, covered with rich chocolate, 
