THE BLACK-HEADED BULBUL. 
18] 
Genus MICROPUS, Swains. 
175. MICROPUS MELANOCEPHALUS. 
THE BLACK-HEADED BULBUL. 
Lanius melanocephalus, Gm. Syst. Nat. i. p. 309. Turdus atriceps, Temm. PI. 
Col. 147. Ixos metallicus, Eyton, Ann. N. Hist. ser. 1, xvi. p. 228, Bra- 
chypodius melanocephalus, Salvad. Ucc. Born. p. 201 ; Bl. B. Burm. p. 136; 
Ar7ustro7if/, S. F. iv. p. 324 ; Hume Sf Dav. S. F. vi. p. 318 ; Hume, S. F. viii. 
p. 98. Brachypodius immaculatus, Sharpe, Ibis, 1876, p. 39. Micropus 
melanocephalus, Sharpe, Cat. Birds B. Mus. vi. p. 65. 
Description. — Male. Forehead^ crown^ sides of the head, chin and throat 
metallic black ; lores dull black ; breast, flanks, upper abdomen, back, 
scapulars and wing-coverts olive-green ; upper tail-coverts brighter ; rump 
yellowish with the bases of the feathers black ; lower abdomen, vent and 
under tail-coverts yellow ; winglet_, primaries and their coverts black, edged 
paler on the outer webs ; secondaries black, broadly edged on the outer 
web with olive-green ; tertiaries olive-green on the outer webs and black 
on the inner; tail olive-green on the basal two-thirds of its length, then 
black and all the feathers tipped with yellow. 
The female differs only in being of a darker colour. 
The young bird has the whole plumage^ including the head, of a dull 
olive-green colour. The yellow tips to the head are less in extent and the 
margins to the quills are inconspicuous. About May the head begins to 
turn black. 
Bill black ; mouth pale blue ; iris blue ; legs plumbeous. In the young 
the gape is whitish. 
Length 7*2 inches, tail 3*2, wing 3*3, tarsus '55^ bill from gape '8. The 
female is a trifle smaller. 
The Black-headed Bulbul is stated by Mr. Blyth to occur in Arrakan. 
It is found generally distributed over the southern portions of Pegu. It is 
very abundant near Rangoon and all the way up to Pegu and on the spurs 
of the hills north of that town. Mr. Blanford met with it at Bassein 
and Dr. Armstrong at Syriam. Capt. Wardlaw Ramsay procured it in 
Karennee. Mr. Davison states that it is found abundantly over the 
whole of Tenasserim except on the higher slopes of the highest hills. 
Capt. Bingham records it from the Thoungyeen valley. 
It extends down the Malay peninsula to Sumatra, Java, Borneo and 
Palawan ; and to the north of British Burmah it appears to be spread as 
far as Dacca and Tipperah. 
This Bulbul is a very common bird wherever it is found ; but is far more 
abundant in the rains than at other times. This appears to be the case 
