THE BVLBVL. 29 



to be no reason to doubt the correctness of the 

 identification — though it may be mentioned that the 

 Persian nightingale (Daulias golzii) is not absolutely 

 dentical with the European bird. More to the point 

 are the facts that the Yarkandis call the barred 

 warbler {Syhia ^nisoria) the Bulbul, and that the 

 Palestine Bulbul {Pycnonotus xantJuypygus) above 

 alluded to is a really fine singer. So that whatever 

 bird was called by the name to start with, it seems 

 to be about as indefinite among Orientals as 

 " Mocking-bird " and " Sparrow " are in our own 

 language. However, in India " Bulbul " is taken- 

 by both natives and Europeans in a very definite 

 signification for a large group of pretby birds, of 

 which our dark Bengal species {MoVpastes bengalensis) 

 may very fairly claim to be the type. He certainly 

 is not much of a songster, but his notes are never 

 harsh and always singularly cheerful and liquid, 

 conveying an unequivocal sense of happiness and 

 well-being ; and he is a thoroughly nice bird. He 

 is not obtrusively sociable nor peevishly solitary 

 and quarrelsome ; when the natives make him fight,, 

 it is by shovfing two himgry birds a morsel of food, 

 over which of course there is a conflict. It is for 

 this purpose that he is so often kept tame, tied to 

 a cloth-padded, T-shaped iron perch by a long string 

 connecfted with a soft thread round his body. 



