190Q.] 187 



G. Butler most kindly tried the experiment last May and June on a 

 number of the pupae which I sent him for the purpose, and has in- 

 formed me of the results, which he has authorized me to make public. 

 They may be summed up as follows : — 



The pupae are either refused, or, after tasting, rejected— often 

 with signs of disgust— by the Pied Wagtail, the Woodlark, the Crested 

 Myuah {Acridotheres cristatelhis) , the Brazilian Hang-nest {Icterus 

 jamaicaii), which is fond of P. r^'j^^e, the White Wagtail, the Virginian 

 Cardinal Bird, the Brambling and the Chaffinch. A Pekin Nightingale 

 {Liotlirix luteus) in one case refused the pupa at first, but probably 

 ate it later, in another case one of these birds tasted and then dropped 

 it. A Weaver Bird probably ate one, and a Scarlet Tanager one with 

 great relish. In one case a Satin Bower Bird {Ptilonorhynms holo- 

 sericeus) refused to look at it, in another one of these birds apparently 

 ate it, as the pupa disappeared. A blue-bearded American Jay {Cya- 

 nocorax cyanopogon) ate them, as did the English Jay. Of the above- 

 mentioned birds. Dr. Butler says that the Satin Bower Birds are greedy 

 insect-feeders, and that the Virginian Cardinal Birds are most excited 

 when offered cockroaches, spiders, or meal worms ; also that the Wag- 

 tail is usually greedy after insect food. 



It will be observed that none of the birds of the Palsearctic 

 region to which this pupa was offered, except the Jay, ate it, but it 

 appears to have been accepted by the Weaver Bird, which inhabits 

 Western and Southern Africa, the Scarlet Tanager, a bird visiting the 

 United States from the south during the summer months, and the 

 Australasian Bower Bird. The pupae of P. hrassicce and, I believe, also 

 those of P. rapcB, are eaten by all insectivorous birds ; in both of 

 these species the colouring of the pupa has been shown to be con- 

 siderably affected by the colour of the surroundings of the pupating 

 larva. I do not propose to draw any large general inferences from 

 these experiments, but they show that the pupa of Aporia cratcsgi is 

 unpalatable to many insectivorous birds, and if so it may be of some 

 advantage to wear a livery that comes near to the utterance of the 

 famous motto, " Nemo me impune lacessit." 



24, Vernon Terrace, Brighton : 

 July %th, 19(.i0. 



Plusia moneta at Waltham Cross.— Ow Saturday evening, July 14th, I had the 

 pleasure of taking a specimen of Plusia moneta flying over honeysuckle about 9.30. 

 There is some Aconite near, but it does not seem eaten, though the moth cannot 

 have flown very far.— W. C. Boyd, The Grange, Waltham Cross : July \6th, 1900. 



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