90 Mr. C. F. M. Swynnerton on 



570. Feb. 9. — Do birds know by inherited instinct what 

 is good for food ? I inserted, amongst other food, into the 

 bird's tray three or four of the brilliant red seeds of Trichilia 

 chirimUca. The Babbler was attracted by them at once and 

 tasted one. She quickly abandoned it. 



571. March 27. — Tasted and rejected the black gregarious 

 larva, three-quarters of an inch long, of a moth still uniden- 

 tified, and each time it was reoffered merely pulled it about 

 a bit, then abandoned it or else ignored it completely ; 

 battered well and ate without apparent dislike the young 

 green larva, one inch long, of a large Saturiniid moth, 

 Gonimhrasia sp. ; absolutely ignored the full-grown larva, 

 3^ inches long by three-quarters of an inch in diameter, of 

 a third moth, covered with branching spines; readily accepted, 

 crushed slightly, and swallowed a large driver-ant (^Anovima 

 nigricans) , and as readily ate a Papilio angolanus, a Belenois 

 mesentina, and a Terias hrigitta, the last two butterflies with 

 wings, the other with only one. 



572. March 28. — Readily ate an ant (No. 31, not identified) 

 and a Belenois mesentina, but refused, then tasted and 

 rejected, a Phytophagous beetle (157). 



Later, hungrier, she readily ate a large driver (^Anomma) ; 

 refused, then tasted and rejected, the black larva ; readily ate 

 the green larva of Gonimhrasia and the " blister-beetle,^' 

 Mylabris oculata; pulled at once or twice and abandoned a 

 large larva, just mutilated and abandoned by the Shrike ; 

 readily ate a Belenois mesentina ; tasted and rejected an 

 Acrcea caldarena without wings ; pulled about and readily 

 ate a wingless Danaida clirysippus ; ate a portion of a small, 

 sluggish, black fly (No. 19) much disliked bj' many animals, 

 but wiped off the rest of it on to the perch ; then readily 

 accepted and ate ant 31. 



573. March 30. — Very hungry. Readily ate two hive- 

 bees, a Mylotliris yulei (after battering the wings), and, after 

 having broken them up in his usual manner by pounding, 

 two large hard Tenebrionid beetles {Amiantus glohulipennis}. 

 She then pulled about and battered a great deal an Acnea 

 caldarena, but ended hy abandoning it. 



