is black and gives the bird
a very saucy air. The wings and tail are dark brown, but each feather
has a pale edge, which makes a pattern like scales on a fish. Below
the eye is a brilliant patch of crimson. A similarly-coloured but
larger patch is displayed at the base of the tail. The lower part
of the cheek is white; this is divided off from the snowy breast by
a narrow black band. The breast is, in its turn, separated from the
greyish abdomen by a broad black band, which ornithologists term a
collaret. Sometimes the collaret is interrupted in the middle. The
hill-bulbul is a most vivacious bird. From dawn to sunset it is an
example of perpetual motion. Its vocal cords are as active as its
wings. The tinkling sounds of this bulbul form the dominant notes
of the bird chorus. Husband and wife almost always move about in
company. They flit from tree to tree, from bush to bush, plucking
raspberries and other hill fruit as they pass. Bulbuls eat insects,
but not when fruit is available. Like all birds bulbuls have large
appetites. Recently I saw an Otocompsa devour three wild raspberries
within as many minutes, each berry was swallowed at one gulp--a
surprising feat, considering the small size of the bird's bill.

A bulbul's nest is a beautifully-shaped cup, usually placed in a bush
at about 3 feet from the ground. As a rule, the bulbul selects an
exposed site for its nest; in consequence many of the eggs are devoured
by lizards. Crows in particular are addicted to young bulbuls, and
take full advantage of the simplicity of the parent birds. Probably,
three out of four broods never reach maturity. But the bulbul is a
philosophic little bird. It never cries over broken eggs. If one
clutch is destroyed it lays another.

The yellow-browed bulbul (_Iole icteria_) demands notice in passing,
because it is common on the minor ranges. Its upper plumage is greenish
yellow, the wings being darker than the back. The lower parts are
canary yellow; the bird has also a yellow ring round the eye. Its
note has been described as a soft, mellow whistle.

A very different bird is the southern or Nilgiri black bulbul
(_Hypsipetes ganeesa_). This is an untidy-looking creature. Its
crest is ragged. Its general hue is shabby black or brown, tinged
with grey in places. The bill and feet are bright coral red. Black
bulbuls utter a variety of notes, most of which are pleasing to the
human ear, although they incline to harshness. The birds go abo