Chap. VIIL] THE BULBUL. — TAILOR-BIRD. 



251 



of colours in the same individual requires confirma- 

 tion. 1 



The Bulbul. — The Condatchee Bulbul 2 , which, from 

 the crest on its head, is called by the Singhalese the 

 " Konda Cooroola," or Tuft bird, is regarded by the 

 natives as the most " game " of all birds ; and training 

 it to fight was one of the duties entrusted by the Kings 

 of Kandy to the Cooroowa, or Head-man, who had 

 charge of the King's animals and Birds. For this pur- 

 pose the Bulbul is taken from the nest as soon as the 

 sex is distinguishable by the tufted crown ; and secured 

 by a string, is taught to fly from hand to hand of its 

 keeper. When pitted against an antagonist, such is 

 the obstinate courage of this little creature that it will 

 sink from exhaustion rather than release its hold. This 

 propensity, and the ordinary character of its notes, 

 render it impossible that the Bulbul of India could be 

 identical with the Bulbul of Iran, the " Bird of a 

 Thousand Songs," 3 of which poets say that its delicate 

 passion for the rose gives a plaintive character to its 

 note. 



Tailor-Bird. — The Weaver-Bird. — The tailor-bird 4 

 having completed her nest, sewing together leaves by 

 passing through them a cotton thread twisted by herself, 

 leaps from branch to branch to testify her happiness by 



1 The engraving of the Tchitrea 

 given on page 244 is copied by per- 

 mission from one of the splendid 

 drawings in Mr. Gould's Birds of 

 India. 



2 Pycnonotus hgemorrhous, Gmel. 



3 " Hazardasitaum" the Persian 

 name for the bulbul. " The Per- 

 sians," according to Zakary ben 

 Mohamed al Caswini, " say the 



bulbul has a passion for the rose, 

 and laments and cries when he sees 

 it pulled." — Ouseley's Oriental 

 Collections, vol. i. p. 16. Accord- 

 ing to Pallas it is the true nightin- 

 gale of Europe, Sylvia luscinia, 

 which the Armenians call boulboul, 

 and the Crim-Tartars byl-byl-i. 

 4 Orthotomus longicauda, Gmel. 



