PALATABILITY OF 80MB BRITISH INSECTS. 851 



One given to Collared Jay-Thrush, which pecked it about and 

 .scraped it in the sand for a long time, wiping his beak in the 

 intervals, and ultimately left it. It was then picked up by a 

 White-crested Jay-Thrush", which treated it for some time in the 

 same way, but at last ate the mangled remains. This 'same bird 

 then took a specimen of the mimetic fly Arctojmila mussitans, but 

 made just the same fuss over the eating of it as he had in the 

 case of the bee. 



Sept. 18, 1910. One taken at once by Dial Bird, and after a 

 good deal of pulling about, pecking and wiping in the sand, was 

 eaten. This bird had just previously eaten a small Tortoiseshell 

 Butterfly, and he took about the same time to finish off the one 

 insect as the other. 



Sept. 20, 1910. One offered to Dial Bird was taken at once and 

 eaten with very little delay, after being wiped once or twice in 

 the sand. The bird flew away with a second specimen and I did 

 not see what became of it ; but he returned to me, and I had 

 difficulty in keeping him away from the bees with which I was 

 experimenting with other birds. 



This Dial Bird was the one that ate the same species of Humble 

 Bee two days previously. 



Humble Bee (Bombus ? joncellus). 



July 31, 1909. One ottered alive to Mona Monkey was 

 snatched at once and eaten bit by bit. 



Humble Bee {Bombus ? terresh-is). 



July 31, 1909. One (dead) taken by Brazilian Hangnest and 

 pecked to pieces, the bird holding it the while in his foot against 

 the perch. The pieces pecked oil' were dropped about the cage 

 and not eaten. 



Humble Bee (Bombus lapidarius). 



May 31, 1909. One dead specimen given to the Meerkat was 

 eaten bit by bit, after being rubbed in the sawdust- by the 

 animal's paws. 



One dead specimen given to Capuchin (< 'ebus sp. a) was taken 

 in the hands and eaten bit by bit, just as the Monkey would eat 

 a piece of hard biscuit or sugar. Neither of these mammals 

 showed any signs of disliking the taste of the bees; quite the 

 contrary. Their molar teeth are evidently much better adapted 

 for crushing the chitinous exoskeletons than are the beaks of the 

 birds that tasted them. 



One dead specimen offered to Syrian Bulbul was taken after 

 about a minute's inspection. The bird pecked it and pulled it 

 about for at least five minutes and dodged away with it from 

 other birds that chased him. He grew, however, less and less 



[43] 



