( Ixx ) 



then one was so full that he had to sit still and rest — all 

 humped up — and then began again ! They had been doing 

 it when I got there and still went on when I left. But quite 

 the most interesting thing was that though there were dozens 

 of ' whites ' (in the literal sense) there, neither of the birds ate 

 one. I watched one several times walk through a large 

 cluster and put them all up, without touching, or attempting 

 to touch, one. You will see that this did not hold good with 

 the other Pierines there, for 3 Terias were eaten. There was 

 no doubt that the wagtails either preferred Lycaenids or 

 else found them easier to catch. The species Tarucus teli- 

 canus, Lang, was very abundant on the mud, but there were 

 others also whose names I know not. I must go down there 

 and watch them again ; for they are always thereabouts. 



" Feb. 20. 



" This afternoon I again visited the puddle by the well. 

 As I came up I saw a wagtail running away with a ' lohite ' 

 in its mouth which it ate. This is interesting after what I 

 said yesterday. I then went a few yards further away to 

 the same puddle I visited yesterday. Two wagtails (probably 

 the same) were there again, busy with the butterflies. One, 

 in three minutes, ate eleven Lycaenids, and caught others which 

 got away ! I began a half-hour watch, notebook in hand, 

 but some men came up and frightened the birds away. I 

 think it quite certain that the birds exercise choice, thus the 

 one last mentioned only ate Lycaenids during the 3 minutes 

 though there were plenty of Atella phalantha about; and I 

 noticed yesterday that one seemed to eat more of these than 

 the other. Moreover, while neither of these ate a ' white,' 

 the bird which had its hunting ground a few yards away at 

 the well itself ate one to-day. 



" I forgot to mention before that a week or so ago I saw 

 a bird of another kind (size of thrush but rather reminding 

 one of a lark) fly up out of the grass with a large yellow Terias 

 in its beak. 



" Feb. 22. 



" This evening I saw a curious sight. When out for a walk 

 I saw a large red patch, about a foot square, on the path, 



