Birds In R-Aatlon to their Prey. 89 



at once each time threw away a Terias — this fixing her 

 state of appetite yet more exactly, but readily ate another 

 Mycalesh. 



5()5. Jan. 12. — Given a hard weevil (nnidentified), the 

 Babbler made a most prolonged attempt, in her very be'.„ 

 manner, to break it open ; but she made no inipi'ession on it, 

 and ended, after several minutes' liard work, in abandoning 

 it. Siie readily and easily ate another (softer) weevil. 



506. Jan. 14. — hieadily ate a driver-ant ^^^?^o?n?Ha nigricans)', 

 crushed well and rejected the Coccinelid Alesia hidentata and 

 the pupa of a second " lady-})ird," Epilaclina chrysomelina (a 

 small portion of the latter was eaten and the rest abandoned); 

 ate another Anomma worker, and, after much pulling about 

 and rubbing on the ground, two larvse of E. chrysomelina', 

 tiied and rejected two imagines of the same genus [E. chry- 

 somelina and E. hirta); ate in the same way as before a 

 third larva of the former species ; tried and rejected the 

 Chrysomelid beetle, Exosoma himandata, and the two 

 " blister-beetles," Ceroctis exclamationis and Mylahris ocidata, 

 and readily ate a Myccdesis cccmjnncc. 



567. Jan. 31. — Hungry. Battered for a time at the large 

 hard C/oprid beetle, Anachalcos spectahiJis, but, failing to 

 pierce it, abandoned it; pulled the large weevil, Brachycervs 

 congestus, in through the wires, struck at it once or twice 

 only, then, having evidently readily gauged its intense 

 hardness, far greater than that of its predecessor, at once 

 abandoned it. 



568. Feb. 2. — Battered the metallic-coppery Buprestid 

 hee\\e , P siloptera cognata, vigorously- for a considerable time 

 with the point of her bill, but finally abandoned it without 

 having done more than break off a leg. This beetle is not a 

 very large one, but is protected by hardness, torpedo-shape, 

 and a glossiness that seems not to be nullified by the slight 

 lonoitudinal flutino;. 



569. Feb. 7. — Attacked the large Cetoniid beetle, Neptu- 

 nides polychrous. Its sharp claws caught in the bird's lores 

 as she attempted to batter it, and she at once shook it free 

 with miudi show of annoyance and refused to return to the 

 attack. 



