Sirds in Helatlon to their Prey, 83 



to be hungry enough to digest it. I have had many instances 

 of this. 



556. Oct. 23. — Readily ate a Mycalesis campina (small 

 brown Satyrine butterfly), but tasted and rejected an Acrcea 

 natalica and the black-white-and-buff day-flying moth, 

 Aletis monteiroce ; readily ate another Mycalesis campina, 

 two small dull-coloured grasshoppers, and another Mycalesis. 

 She then pulled at, but only ate portions of, two more grass- 

 hoppers, and refused to touch any others, going on to reject 

 a Myc. campina, but to eat readily a Neptis saclava, a Heno- 

 tesia perspicua, another Neptis ; and, after it, her appetite 

 doubtless stimulated by these acceptances, the Mycalesis 

 previously rejected. She still refused grasshoppers, but ate 

 another Mycalesis ; again refused grasshoppers, but ate yet 

 another Mycalesis ; ate with relish twelve winged termites of 

 a small species and rejected repeatedly, after tasting them, a 

 Mycalesis campina and a Neptis saclava (wingless). She 

 showed an inclination, nevertheless, to eat a wingless Pyra- 

 meis cardui, returning to it several times, but finally left it, 

 apparently not caring for the trouble of preparing it. She 

 rejected it very promptly when slightly smeared with honey, 

 evidently suspecting the strange and strong taste, and 

 hurriedly ate some termites, as though to take the taste 

 away. 



The order of preference was probably: (1) Termites, (2) 

 Pyrameis, (3) Neptis saclava and possibly Henotesia per- 

 spicua, (4) Mycalesis campina, (5) Acrcea natalica and Aletis 

 monteiroi. If so, it agrees with the order of preference 

 shown by all my various birds, except the few that transpose 

 Neptis and Mycalesis. 



bbl. Nov. 15. — Very hungry ; accepted a Mylothris 

 yulei, battered the wings on the ground, and then, holding it 

 in its bill by the thorax, wings outward, literally combed the 

 latter with her foot, reducing them to shreds. She then ran 

 the butterfly through her bill and swallowed it. Given an 

 Aletis monteiroi (day-flying moth), she pulled it about a 

 little and abandoned it, but, returning to the attack, seized 

 the abdomen and removed it from the thorax by dint of 



6*. 



