THE BULBUL. 27 



readily enough in confinement. But, on the other 

 hand, fruit is undoubtedly his more ordinary food p. 

 a certain Lantana bush I wot of is much resorted ta 

 by both Bulbuls and butterflies, and the berries 

 seem to be the birds' only object in visiting it. And 

 captive Bulbuls display an indiscriminateness ia 

 taste as regards the species of butterflies they devour 

 that would shock many of the exponents of " warning 

 colouration in insects "; eating, without the stimulus 

 of hunger, species which other birds will avoid unless 

 they have no choice allowed. This may be inter- 

 preted in two ways. Either the Bulbul is such a 

 common bird because he doesn't care what he eats ; 

 or he is a mere amateur in butterfly-eating, and 

 doesn't know what's good, like a young bird 

 who has his experience to gain. Certainly his insect- 

 catching when at liberty is mostly concerned with 

 smaller game, for it is not always easy to see what 

 he takes when he rises in the air a short distance and 

 then drops back to his perch. For he is a bird of 

 varied abilities ; he can skip about gracefully among 

 the branches of a shrub, though he is more givea 

 to sitting on the top ; and on the wing his movements^ 

 though not particularly powerful or swift, are easy 

 and graceful to a degree. Only on the ground is he 

 awkward, for his legs are too short for him to hop 

 with much agility or keep his tail clear ; but he does- 



