162 ANIMAL COLORATION. 



Aii earwig wars given to the same woodpecker, which made 

 a great deal of fuss over it, but ended by swallowing it. 



The wireworrn is not a conspicuous larva ; it is no doubt 

 tough, but should be, on account of its colour and habits, 

 eatable. And yet one was flicked away by the woodpecker,, 

 just in the same way that it treats a decidedly unpalatable 

 insect. 



The woodpecker was clearly hungry, for it ate a house fly 

 immediately after declining the wire worm. A great tit 

 subsequently declined the same wire worm. 



The small garden slug is an animal which cannot be said to^ 

 be conspicuous; it is eaten greedily by ducks, but fowls will 

 not touch it. 



We made some experiments with the large brown slug, an 

 animal which has been instanced as an example of warning 

 coloration (perhaps, however, the black variety alone is meant). 

 Two of these slugs were eaten readily by the Kagu. Another 

 was eaten with equal readiness by the Thick-knee (CEdicnemus 

 grallarius). A curlew refused both brown and pale specimens. 

 Oyster-catchers ate them, but not very readily after they had 

 been fed. The South American Trumpeter (Psophia) refused 

 them. A blackbird ate one after a long and diligent rubbing 

 of it on the ground. The Laughing Jackass ate two large 

 brown ones and two pale ones. The Great Spotted wood- 

 pecker seized and swallowed at once a small slug, but de- 

 clined the large ones. A dark brown slug was offered to the 

 Sun bittern, which did not touch it; a song thrush in the 

 next cage, who was greatly interested in the proceedings, took 

 it, and, after much rubbing on the ground, devoured first of all 

 the viscera, which had protruded owing to the rough treatment 

 the slug had received, and then the body. During the time 

 which the thrush was occupied with the slug, a rose-coloured. 



