( 38 ) 



3. The following observation was recorded by Professor 

 Poulton :— "On July 29, 1910, at Wykeham House, Oxford, 

 my daughter and I saw a flycatcher, sitting on the branch of 

 an elm, rather over 30 ft. distant, make a dash after a 

 specimen of Tryphaena ■pronuba that was flying inside a room 

 towards and on to the inside of the window. We were stand- 

 ing inside the room and saw the bird dash itself against the 

 glass within a few feet of us. The pair of small windows, the 

 only ones in the room, are somewhat deeply recessed in the 

 side of the house, and the observation offers convincing 

 evidence of the power of a bird's sight in penetrating shadow 

 at a distance." 



4. The following observation, also made by Professor Poulton, 

 shows that small birds will attack insects of great relative 



[Iv 

 size : — " Towards the end of dune 1910, I saw a small robin 

 flying with what was evidently a heavy load across the path 

 of the Parks Road, Oxford, from the elm-trees on the west 

 towards the Parks railing on the east. Just outside the 

 railing it put the load down and began to peck it. I came 

 near gently, and saw that it had captured a specimen of 

 Smerinthtu tiliae, L. I watched the bird peck the moth to 

 pieces and eat the whole of it, except the wings. The observa- 

 tion was made just after heavy rain, which may have caused 

 the moth to flutter or fall, and thus to attract the bird's 

 attention." 



Mr. S. A. Neave said with reference to Professor Poulton's 

 interesting remarks on the prevalence of insectivorous birds in 

 Uganda, that he had recently had an instructive experience 

 near Entebbe. On January 12, 1912, at Gabunga's, near 

 Entebbe, he had watched a wagtail, most probably Motacilla 

 capetisis, catching butterflies on a small patch of damp sand 

 in the bed of a forest stream. The bird was so tamo that 

 he stood within 3 or 4 yards of it. In less than half-an -hour 

 this bird captured and ate 19 butterflies and failed to catch 

 many others. The butterflies eaten were nearly all small 

 Lycaenidae, including Tarucus telicanus, Polyommatus baetieus, 

 Azu/tiis spp., many individuals, Lycaenesthes spp. (2 indi- 

 viduals), Uranothauma (I) poygei (1 individual), and a single 



