146 MR. C. N. BARKER 



Merops natalensis had made a meal of ^' the character- 

 istic cantharid, Mylahrls ocidator, Thunb., considered as 

 among the most distastei'ul and highly protected of in- 

 sects. Other insects found in the stomachs of birds of 

 Table A include the following — a black Syagrus and 

 Macrocoma aurcoviUosa (Eumolpinoe) ; Fsiloptera chql- 

 co'phor Okies Per. ; Spheiioptera disjunct a and Antlmxia 

 sp. (Buprestida3) ; several metallic onthophagi and Oni- 

 tis alcxis ( Coprin?e) ; Antliia paclnjoma, Poljfhirma semi- 

 suturata, Piezia marshalli and Scarites sp. (Carabidfe). 

 Of those enumerated above none can lay claim to being 

 procryptiCj and most of them are decidedly conspicuous 

 beetles. Merops natalensis appears to be the least fasti- 

 dious of all these birds, as the stomachs of the two ex- 

 amined contained the two distasteful moths as well as 

 Myla 1) ris ocu lator. 



The stomachs of birds included in Table B provided 

 several stinking Pentatomid bugs (probably crj^ptic) ; 

 conspicuous Reduviid bugs; Ontliopliagas gazella, Aspi- 

 domorpha punctata^ Polycleis decora^ all non-cryptic in- 

 sects; scorpions, centipedes, hair^^ caterpillars and sting- 

 ing Aculeates. All these are ins(icts which might claim 

 to be included in the partially protected class either on 

 account of taste or other defensive qualities. 



As against the complete absence of butterfly reinains 

 in the stomachs of birds in Tables A and B, there are two 

 records given by Dr. Marshall : — 



December 15th, 1898. Remains of Papilio demo- 

 docus found in the stomach of a cuckoo {Coccystes 

 caffer), and January 1st, 1899, Sw^ynnerton shot a 

 hobby {Falco suhhuteo) which had in its stomach an 

 almost complete Terias. 



Between March 28th, 1807, and December 17th, 1901, 

 Dr. Marshall, in collaboration with Mr. Sw^^nnerton, both 

 keen observers, Avho were utilizing much of their time in 

 looking for evidence of birds attacking butterflies, record 

 7 cases of actual capture, 2 of which (moths) were re- 

 jected; and 3 of futile a1tom])ts to capture. Colonel Yer- 



