Birds in Relation to their Prey. 77 



As with the Ground-Hornbills the tasting is clone in the 

 tip of the bill. Yet the tongue is very short, and when the 

 bird was crushing the Cape gooseberries, in the tip of the 

 of the bill, I noticed that the tongue's base remained pressed 

 tightly up against the roof of the bill, completely stop[)ing 

 the aperture to the throat. It was only lowered as the 

 gooseberry was thrown back into the throat. 



Comments. Several degrees of preference were indicated 

 in this experiment : — 



(1) Two Nymphalines [Pyrameis and Hamanumida)., three 

 skippers {Gegenes, Andronymus, and Parnara), and probably 

 a Satyrine, Melanitis leda, were preferred to 



(2) Papilio lya'us and probably (to judge merely from 

 behaviour) the black and white Nympaline jyeptis agatlia ; 

 also to the yellow-and-brovvn skipper Padraona zeno and 

 probably to Salamis. The latter was refused very near 

 repletion-point. Belenois severina also preferred to 



(3) Mylotliris agatluna, and this to 



(4) The two Acrseas {A. areca and A. terpsiclwre) and the 

 two buff-patched species of Amatiris [A. albimaculata and 

 A. lobengida). 



(5) Danaida chrysipjms. 



(6) The great ro/iiVe-patched Amanris^ A. domiiiicanus,Vi\i\\ 

 or slightly above 



(7) Meat (kind not specified). 



(8) Cape gooseberries. 



Below P. lyceus and probably N. agatha would come 

 Mylothris rueppeUi and Nyctemera leuconoe, and with or 

 below them would also come Terias, Ypthima, and (if it was 

 recognised as itself, which is not certain) Henotesia. 



This order is approximately that in which many other 

 species of birds, species that had to be very hungry to eat 

 even a single Danaine or Acrrea, placed these insects : 

 Lophoceros, like Biicorax, is just as finely discriminating as 

 they, once he has reached Danaida- and dominicanus-Yeius,mcf 

 point. But it takes more food to bring him to that point ; 

 and before reaching that point he is capable of eating with 

 apparent impunity immeuj^e numbers even of Danaines and 



