Birds in Relation to their Prey. 97 



ordinarily witnessed. The facts bearino; on the subject that 

 figured in the experiments described above were (1) the 

 really very excellent knowledge of his butterflies shown by 

 adult Lopkoceros melanoleucus on entering captivity (ex- 

 periment 538), the probable previous knowledge shown in 

 Irrisors initial treatment ot" the highly nauseous buttertlies 

 Danaida chri/sippus (in experiment 50G) and Acrcea acara 

 (in experiment 507), and that displayed by another bird 

 of the same species in experiment 513 ; (2) the evidence 

 touching the question, " Does the necessity for removing or 

 swallowing the stiff, strongly-attached wings act as a deter- 

 rent to attack on butterHies ?" On the strength of experiment 

 503 (on Irrisor) I decided that, " while wings hampered the 

 birds, they failed to deter." On the whole, however, a relatively 

 replete bird is, I think, slightly deterred, just as he does not 

 then care greatly to attack such beetles, wasps, and grass- 

 hoppers as tend to give him a little trouble. The treatment 

 of P. demodocus in experiment 512 supports this view. 



The only method of search that was illustrated in the above 

 experiments consisted in the probing of all the cracks of 

 their cage by the Wood-Hoopoes with their long thin bills. 

 Many of the methods by which birds obtain their prey are 

 not readily capable of illustration by caged individuals. 

 Such are the extraordinarily minute search of bark and twigs 

 and leaves and ground by Warblers, Tits, Creepers, Fhylla- 

 strephus, and so many others of our small birds ; their trials 

 of inanimate objects, based doubtless on past experience of 

 twig-, bark-, and excrement-resembling larvae, leaf-resembling 

 butterflies, and lichen-like moths * {LopJioceros melanoleucus, 

 however, in experiment 538, tried a lump of mingled earth 

 and excrement) ; the great mixed hunting-parties, in which 

 birds of numerous and very diverse species join to " drive '' 

 the woodlands; the attendance on these parties of Drongos and 

 Flycatchers; attendance on driver-ants, on grass-fires,on flocks 

 of seed-eating birds, and even on man and monkeys, for what 

 they may flush ; the sharp sightthat enables Swallowsand Kites 



* Both facts have a hearing' ou the argument that such resemWancos 

 constitute hyyertely. 



7 



