Birds In Kelatioa to their Prey. 85 



larva and imaoo, and, after a good deal of worrying, two 

 larvae of the common ladybird beetle, Epilachna hirta, so 

 destructive to potato-foliage. These larvae have a bitter 

 taste, and are intensely disliked by my other birds. She 

 then broke np, but ended by abandoning, an imago of the 

 same species, exuding the usual yellow juice, but persistently 

 refused to touch a second. However, after an immense 

 amount of persuasion, she took it and at once flung it away 

 with every sign of disgust. She then ate with apparent 

 relish a Mycalesis campina with all wings attached, and 

 accepted after much hesitation, but at once wiped off her 

 bill on to the perch, a larva of Epilaclina hirta. Probably 

 the first two had not agreed with her. 



The liking of the Babbler fur ants disliked by some of my 

 birds requires no explanation, for Crateropus is an ant-eater. 

 Whether her so ready acceptance of the ichneumon and of 

 the Cocciuelid larvae is similarly due to specialization, or 

 whether she was rash in eating them, can only be cleared up 

 by further experiment. 



559. Nov. 27. — Method of dealing with, and partial 

 defeat by, a hard slippery beetle. Hungry, as I had pur- 

 posely kept her without food for some time previously. On 

 my inserting the hard glossy Cetoniid beetle, Paclinoda 

 impressa, the Babbler turned it over on to its back and, with 

 her head drawn right back and neck well arched, struck 

 blow after blow at it with terrific force for so small a bird. 

 I noticed that on this occasion the mandibles were kept closed. 

 Often the beetle glanced away and the bird soon reverted 

 to her old trick of steadying it with one foot while she struck 

 the blow. Sometimes she would hold it in her claw and pull 

 at the underside of the abdomen, and often she would seize 

 it in her bill and bang or rub it on the ground. The insect's 

 slipperiness, however, defeated and disconcerted her on all 

 occasions. It was a considerable time before the chitin of 

 the abdomen broke. The bird then drew forth and ate such 

 of the contents as she could get at, and, after some more 

 ineffectual hammering on both surfaces, abandoned the 

 remains. On my re-offering it twice, she each time struck. 



