Page:The Fauna of British India, including Ceylon and Burma (Birds Vol 1).djvu/427

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(398) Molpastes hæmorrhous hæmorrhous.

Vernacular names. Bulbul or Bulbuli (Hind.); Pigli-pitta (Tel.); Konda-lati (Tam.).

Description. The whole head, chin and throat deep black, sharply defined at the back of the head; neck, back, wing-coverts, scapulars and breast brown, each feather narrowly margined with whitish; rump plain brown; upper tail-coverts white; tail brown at base, darkening and becoming black towards the end, tipped white; wing-quills brown, very narrowly margined with whitish; sides of body and flanks brown fading to almost white on abdomen; under tail-coverts crimson; shafts of tail-feathers whitish beneath.

Colours of soft parts. Iris hazel to dark brown; bill black; legs and feet dark brown to black.

Measurements. Total length about 200 mm.; wing 85 to 95 mm.; tarsus about 21 mm.: culmen about 15 mm.

Distribution. Ceylon and South India, Travancore and Mysore. North about up to 18° on the East and to about 20° on the West.

Nidification. This Bulbul breeds over the whole of its area in the plains and the foot-hills of the various ranges up to about 2,000 feet, ascending much higher than this in any hills where big towns, cultivation and big open plains have usurped the place of jungles and forests. In Ceylon they are commonly found up to