82 Mr. C. F. M. Swynnerton on 



species. Ornithologically it is of interest as illustrating a 

 Babbler's methods and limitations. 



554. Oct. 10. — I presented a snake — a nigbt-adder, ])ro- 

 bably Causus rhomheatus — before the cages of several of my 

 smaller birds in turn to test the attitude of old and young 

 towards it. " In every case the greatest alarm was at 



once displayed The Crateropxis was the only partial 



exception. She retired to her top perch, and there moved 

 backwards and forwards in an agitated manner tail well up, 

 legs at full length — at tip-toe, so to speak, — looking down all 

 the time at the snake." 



555. Oct. 21. — Method of attacking a large beetle. I 

 placed a large beetle, Scarahoeus mgro-eeneiis, in the cage. 

 The Babbler, hungry, at once attacked it. She made no 

 attempt to hold or crush it, but, in accordance with her usual 

 method of attack, pounded it with great force with the 

 points of the mandibles held slightly apart. The result was 

 much the same as in the case of the Bulbul, for, nearly 

 every time it was struck, the beetle simply shot across the 

 cage, though the fact that the bill was somewhat open and 

 struck simultaneously in two places had a steadying effect 

 and sometimes prevented this. Once the lower mandible 

 penetrated some joint in the armour, and there was a little 

 diflficulty in extracting it. The Babbler went on for some 

 time with the attack, but gradually tired of it, and finally 

 abandoned the beetle. On my removing and examining the 

 latter, I could find no trace of injury anywhere. The beetle 

 had remained all the time passive, its legs tucked lightly into 

 their receiving-grooves, and even now, though placed out 

 for some time on the table, continued to remain absolutely 

 motionless. 



I next gave the bird the dead millipede that the beetle 

 had been rolling. She seized it by the head as it lay on the 

 ground, and, by a sharp side-long twist of the bill, wrenched 

 this off. She then retirfed to an upper perch and remained 

 there motionless, holding the head in her bill for more than 

 half an hour without an attempt to eat it — perhaps waiting 



