Living Food for Insectivorous Birds. 71 



No doubt a cabbage-field is the best place in which to 

 seek for edible caterpillars, those of the common Cabbage-moth 

 (^Maniestra brassiccE) in various shades of gieen and brown, some 

 of the Apatneas and the velvety green catterpillar of the small 

 White })Utterfly (^Ganoris rapce) being always in evidence. 



Caterpillars of the Dol-moth {Mamestra persicarice) common 

 on the fronds of the well known male and female ferns are always 

 greatly relished ; they vary in ground-tint from lavender greyish, 

 through chocolate and clay-colour to green, but ma}' always be 

 recognized by the dark crescentic markings on the anterior 

 segments. 



Wood-boring caterpillars are not generally liked, although 

 the larger Thrush-like birds and probably the Crows will eat 

 them ; the\', however, render the cage ofifensive for some time 

 afterwards : they should prove excellent food for Black Cockatoos, 

 since the latter eat them in Australia with relish. The perfect 

 insect of the Wood-leopard moth {Zefizera cbscuH) is more often 

 than not refused by birds, I think because of its rather startling 

 coloration reminding one a little of a Pierrot; but all the small 

 brown night-moths as well as the more or less metallic Phisice 

 including the Burnished-brass moth are accepted at once. 



The languid white caterpillars of some of the Ghost-moths 

 i^HepialidcB), which I have found in quantities feeding on the 

 roots when removing Peonies from one part of my garden to 

 another, are very much relished b\^ all insectivorous Inrds. 



The leaf- rolling larvae of Pearl-moths (/'j'ra//V/^'5) are always 

 eaten, as are those of the more typical Micro-Lepidoptera the 

 Toitrices and Tineina, including even those of the common 

 clothes-moths. 



Most two- winged flies {Diptera) are devoured in all their 

 stages and it is well known that maggots of the common blue- 

 bottle fly are well worth breeding in meat and. after scouring 

 by keeping for a day or so in sand, form excellent food for 

 rearing young birds. It might be supposed that Sun-flies, Rat- 

 tailed flies and Bee-flies fiom their more or less near resemblance 

 to wasps, honey-bees, and humble-bees, would be refused, but in 

 the case of the two first at anj' rale this is not the case, though it 

 is a sin to destroy the first (the larvae of which destroy plant- 



