NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS. 95 



Humble-bees in New Zealand Killed by Native Birds. — la vol. 

 xxix. p. 210, of the ' Entomologist,' I referred briefly to some enemies 

 of the introduced humble-bees in New Zealand. In the note referred 

 to I also stated that we had observed the introduced starlings killing 

 and conveying humble-bees to their nests to feed their young. In con- 

 cluding the article I further stated that up to that time I had no records 

 of native birds killing the bees. Recently, however, the tui or parson- 

 bird (P rosthemadera novcB-zeatandm) has been detected killing them at 

 Akaroa on Banks Peninsula. The case is remarkable in illustrating 

 how new habits are acquired or family habits are developed in some 

 species of birds when certain conditions are present. As the tui 

 belongs to the starling family, and is one of the native honey- suckers, 

 it is possible it also was killing humble-bees to feed its young when it 

 discovered the honey-sac of the insects. The tui, while engaged in 

 killing the bees, would discover their honey-sac, which would also lead 

 to a continuance of the habit as a ready means of procuring their 

 favourite food. An analogous case is also presented in some recently 

 acquired habits of the starling. For two seasons I have observed what 

 is undoubtedly an acquired taste and habit in the starling in New 

 Zealand. Like the tui, it now frequents the flax-flats and sucks the 

 honey from the richly mellifluous flowers. It is quite probable that 

 the eating of the humble-bee's honey-sac by the starlings developed, 

 or is now developing, the taste for honey in these birds. Owing 

 to the three last successive seasons being extremely dry in the 

 northern half of the Middle Island, there is a great scarcity of 

 insect food, which probably impelled the birds to attack the 

 humble-bees. In the newspaper report of the occurrence — which 

 I am forwarding to the editor — it states that the humble-bees 

 •' are deprived of their honey-sac, the body of the insects being 

 otherwise uninjured." In the interesting editorial footnote to my 

 article (/. c. p. 212), Mr. Edward Saunders is quoted in reference to 

 the great tom-tit (Pants major) killing humble-bees on lime trees. 

 Mr. Saunders refers to the dead and dying insects as " having a large 

 hole in the upper surface of the thorax, and another at the apex of the 

 abdomen, the apical segments being removed." I have not seen Mr. 

 Saunders's paper. But there seems to me no doubt that the tom-tit 

 killed the humble-bees by extracting and consuming the viscera of the 

 insects. It may possibly be considered that this subject is more orni- 

 thological than entomological. In my opinion honours are equal. The 

 effects of environment on newly-introduced birds and insects presents 

 a new field in which students of both sciences may readily observe the 

 origin of new or acquired habits in their respective classes. Both the 

 starling and tui are endowed with a high degree of intelligence, while 

 anyone who has observed their habits knows their ready powers of 

 perception. It would be interesting to know if any one of the three 

 species of Bombi now acclimatised is more liable to attacks by the 

 tui than the others. In some districts large areas of red clover (Trifo- 

 lium pratense) are grown for seed, and are fertilised by two forms of 

 B. hortorum. B. terrestris is, as it is in Europe, a destructive robber of 

 many flowers in New Zealand. Unfortunately I live on the open Can- 

 terbury Plains, and far from the native bush where the tuis dwell, and 

 have no opportunities of observing their habits in relation to the accli- 

 matised Bombi.— W. W. Smith; Ashburton, N.Z., Jan. 9th, 1898. 



