Page:The Fauna of British India, including Ceylon and Burma (Birds Vol 1).djvu/459

 PYCNONOTUS. 413 and Borueo; East throughout Siam to Cochin China, Aunam and Yunnan.

Nidification. This Bulbul breeds in the plains and lower hills up to some 1,500 feet, making the usual Bulbul's cup-shaped nest of leaves, grass and fern roots, fine twigs, etc., lined with fine grass and fern roots. It is generally strongly bub rather slightly made and is plnced in bushes or saplings at any height from 3 to 15 feet from the ground. It is built in small jungle or scrub, occasionally in denser forest and sometimes quite close to villages and human habitations. The eggs are either two or three in number and most of them resemble richly-marked eggs of Otocompsa, though they vary a good deal inter se. Fifteen eggs average 22-4 x lG-1 mm.; the extremes are 23-1 X 16*5 and 21-4x1 5-2 mm. The breeding season is from February to June.

Habits. Davison remarks that this is the n)ost common form of Bulbul in the plains" portion of Tenasserim. "It does not affect forests but is found on the outskirts of it, in scrub-jungle, in cleared land and in gardens, giving perhaps the preference to the latter. They do not go in flocks but there are generally so many about that it is difficult to say whether they are in pairs or single. The note is a rather pleasant, feeble whistling chirrup, continually uttered whether the bird is sitting or flying. It is a very lively bird, always on the move." It feeds both on berries and insects, which it takes on the ground as well as on trees and bushes.


 * Ixus davisoni Hume, S. F., iii, p. 301 (1875) (Arrakan).

Vernacular names. None recorded.

Description. Differs from the preceding bird in having the forehead and crown concolorous except for a narrow yellow line just above the lores; the yellow on the throat and chin is much less in extent; the whole head and nape is dull olive with faint golden centres to the feathers.

Colours of soft parts as in P.fi.finlaijsoni.

Measurements. A slightly bigger bird than Fiulayson's Bulbul, the wing running from 76 mm. to 90 mm.

Distribution. Arrakan, Chin Hills to Tenasserim West of Sittaung Eiver.

Nidification. Gates obtained two nests in Pegu — cups made of stems of weeds, lined with grass and placed low down, one in a bush, the other in a creeper about 4 feet from the ground. In both cases there were two eggs, typical Bulbul's eggs, in every way.