PALATABILITY OF SOME BRITISH INSECTS. 841 



Monkeys, there can be no doubt that this soft- shelled beetle 

 possesses distasteful attributes. Its rejection by the Meerkat, 

 which ate nearly all the insects offered to it with the exception of 

 Coccinella 7 -punctata, was very significant, and suggestive of nasty 

 smelling secretions. 



Group Phytophaga. 



The three species of this group that were tested are well-known 

 species. They are slow-moving diurnal forms found on plants of 

 different kinds. They are scpiat in shape, dorsally convex, and 

 have a very hard exoskeleton, the Ladybird (Coccinella) being in 

 addition exceedingly slippery and difficult to hold. The coloration 

 of the latter is orange with black spots. The others are uniformly 

 black or bine. Timarcha tenebricosa, the familiar ' bloody-nose 

 beetle.' is further notorious for the discharge from its mouth of 

 a crimson liquid, whence the trivial name is derived. 



Chrysomela polita. 



July 31, 1909. One offered to Meerkat was smelt and refused. 

 Another Meerkat in the same cage took it in his mouth, but spat 

 it out ; both then sniffed it as it lay on the ground, but would 

 not touch it. 



The same specimen, ottered to a Grison, was sniffed but not 

 touched. Snapped up by McCarthy's Mongoose ; but was at once 

 spat out and left. It was then taken and eaten by a Banded 

 Mongoose. 



Query: Had the previous tasters exhausted the Beetle's supply 

 of nauseous juices? 



One given to Dent's Monkey was taken, rubbed between 

 the hands and in the sawdust, smelt, tasted, pulled about and 

 rejected. Picked up by Mona in the same cage, but rejected 

 after one taste. This Mona had just eaten a living Bombus. 



One given to Harmonious Shrike-Thrush was taken, pecked 

 and tasted for a little, then left. Picked up by Black-chinned 

 Laughing Thrush, was pulled to pieces, and rejected. This bird 

 may have eaten pieces of the beetle, but the other debris was left 

 on the turf. He did not appear to find it very unpalatable. 

 Possibly in this case the nauseous juices had been exhausted by 

 the Shrike-Thrush. 



One pecked off a perch by Fan tailed Flycatcher, but not 

 followed up. Pecked and tasted by Sulphury Tyrant, hut left. 

 Then tried by Sun- Bittern, but also left, crushed but with 

 nothing missing. 



Timarcha tenebricosa ( = laevigata). 



July 23-31, 1909. One offered to a Meerkat was eagerly seized, 

 chewed up and swallowed without much hesitation. But while 

 this Meerkat was just afterwards occupied with the Carabus riola- 

 ceus (cf. supra, p. 837), he vomited the Timarcha. I do not know 



[33] 



