sends us the following account of their habits, which we are able to
confirm from our own personal observations :—“ Dwellers in woods,
they love the deepest and most shady parts of the forest, where they
are seldom noticed; they build their nests in low situations, amid
the thick underwood that grows beneath the tall forest-trees, and
seldom lay more than two eggs; if the female is disturbed, she
utters one shrill note, as she flies away, letting her mate know
danger is near. The notes of this bird are low and croaking, somewhat
resembling those of a frog; there is no perceptible difference
between the male and female.” A nest forwarded by this lady is
composed of coarse grass, moss, roots, and hair. The eggs are
creamy white, densely blotched with purple-brown at the thick end,
the blotches being confluent: axis, 1 1 '" ; diam., 8" '.
General colour, dull olive-green; chin, throat, and centre of belly,
pure white; flanks, olive-green; shafts of wing and tail-feathers
white. Length, 8" ; wing, 3” 8'" ; tail, 4". Mr. Andersson says
that “ the iris is yellow; the upper mandible, horn-colour; the
lower bluish; tarsus, bluish.3’ Captain Shelley, writing on specimens
shot by himself in Natal, notes as follows:—“ Beak, horn-colour,
inclining to white on the lower mandible; irides, hazel; legs, pale
pinkish grey.33 He adds, “ They occasionally differ in size, two
females measured respectively, 8-5 and 7-9 inches.33 The above
differences in the colour of the soft parts probably arises from
difference of age or season.
Fig. Le Yaill. Ois. d’Afr. pi. 112, fig. 1.
188. A ndropadus im po r tu n u s . Sombre Bulbul.
Griniger importunus, Layard, B. S. Afr. p. 187.
The “ Boschvogel,33 as it is called, is not very rare in the neighbourhood
of Cape Town, and also occurs at the Knysna, whence we
have seen a number of specimens obtained by the late Mr. C. J.
Andersson, and Victoria procured it in the same district in April,
May, and July. Le Vaillant states that he found it plentiful from
Duivenbok’s River to Algoa Bay, and both Messrs. Atmore and
Cairncross have forwarded it from Swellendam. According to Mr.
Rickard it occurs both near East London and Port Elizabeth, and.
quite recently Lieut. Trevelyan has sent us a specimen captured in
the neighbourhood of King William’s Town; it was also included
in Mr. T. C. Atmore’s collections from Eland’s Post. Captain
Shelley found it very common in the bush about Durban, and it
occurs as high as Macamac and the Lydenberg district, where Mr.
E. A. Barratt obtained several examples.
Le Vaillant calls this bird “ L’lmportun,33 but we have not found it
to manifest its presence by its importunity, as says that author. We
have generally found it in thickets, moving quietly about in search
of insects, and darting upon them while at re st: we have sometimes,
but rarely, seen it on the ground, scraping among dead leaves.
Le Vaillant states that it builds on branches of large trees, and lays
four or five eggs, marked with olive-colour; and Mr. Atmore
informs us that it nests near the ground, the eggs being like those
of Lanius collaris. This would agree with Le Vaillant3s statement
that they are marked with olive-colour. Mr. Ayres observes:—■
“ In Natal these birds are very destructive to fruit, but fortunately are
not nearly so numerous as the Pycnonoti. They inhabit the dense
brush generally. They are not easily seen in consequence of their
sombre green plumage and their habits of hiding, to which they
trust for safety, rather than to flight. Their note much resembles
the fchisick’ of the House Sparrow at home, but is much louder;
they have also a short warbling song. Besides fruit, insects form a
considerable portion of their food.”
General colour uniform dull olive-green, lightest on the under
side; feathers of the wings and tail edged with yellow; some thin,
long, hair-like bristles protrude from the back of the head; bill
black, with serrations near the tip of the upper mandible ; legs horn
colour; iris “ very pale yellow” (Shelley), “ pale green ” (Ayres).
Length, 7" 9"' ; wing, 3” 9 '" ; tail, 3" 9"'.
Fig. Le Vaill. Ois. d’Afr. pi. 106.
189. A ndropadus h ypoxanthus , S h a r p e . Yellow-breasted Bulbul.
Two specimens of this new Andropadus were collected by Dr.
Kirk, at Tette, in the Zambesi country, and were doubtfully referred
to A. flavescens by the late Mr. Gray. The examination, however,
of the true A. flavescens, shows that the Zambesi bird is not the
same, as it differs in its brighter and more yellow colour above, and
below it is of a brilliant yellow, without any of the dark olive brown