Birch in T^elufion to their Prey. 41 



fresli, butterflies of the same species is instructive for its 

 bearing on the last experiment. His offering to the younger 

 bird, C, two butterflies and a migratory locust, yet wresting 

 from her the very favourite Koctuid moth Sphingomorpha 

 was of interest. I judge, though I do not find it definitely 

 stated, that the butterflies of this experiment were all offered 

 without wings. All that can be said about preferences 

 (unless the rejection of the first P. a^iyolamis by A be 

 regarded as reliable) is that the birds were obviously hungry 

 enough to gladly eat any of the butterflies used, and that 

 they had no objection to eating them when they were hungry 

 enough. 



.503. Jan. 11. — The birds were first supplied with food in 

 order that their acceptances might not be the result of 

 hunger. While they were engaged in feeding, I offered — 

 with a view to ascertaining to what extent, if at all, they 

 were hampered by the wings of butterflies and moths respec- 

 tively — first, a Catopsilia floreUa. A took it and, after a good 

 deal of difficulty and ineffective fumbling, succeeded in 

 taking off all but one hind wing with the point of his bill and 

 swallowed the butterfly. He easily swallowed a Sphinyo- 

 morpha chlorea, head first, wings and all ; but of a second 

 clipped the wings off with his bill close to its sides before 

 swallowing the body. He then took the huge brown moth, 

 Nyctipao nuicrops, so common uuder eaves and in out-houses, 

 and, after some slight ineffectual attempts to clip off the 

 wings, succeeded in getting its abdomen in a firm grip 

 between claw and pouch, and then with comiarative ease 

 and precision levered oft' each wing separately at its junction 

 with the body, using the point of his bill. He then jumped 

 with it to the ground (probably to escape the unwelcome 

 attentions of C), and with several snips of the basal half 

 of the bill severed the ulxlomen from the thorax. The 

 former he swallowed himself, and the thorax he offered 

 to C. C accepted and swallowed it readily. She had just 

 before taken from me a Catopsilia fiorella and swallowed 

 it head first, wings and all, wi h a great deal of jerking and 

 difficulty. 



It seemed that while wings hampered the birds, they 



