340 Mr. G. A. K. Marshall on 



9. Experiments on Captive Kestrels (CcrcJm.eis rvpi- 

 coloides and C. naumanni). (G, A. K. M.) 



1899. Salishiry, Mashonalancl. 



January 2. Offered a yonng kestrel (Cerchneis rupi- 

 coloidcs) an Acr/ea caldarena ; he took it 

 in his beak, held it for a few seconds and 

 then threw it away with a sharp shake 

 of the head. Then gave him a ByUia 

 ilithyia, which he accepted, but after 

 making one or two pecks at it let it drop 

 and would not touch it when it was again 

 offered. I then tried him with an example 

 of A. noliara-halali and A. douhlcdayi- 

 axina, but he would have nothing to do 

 with them. 



„ 7. Gave the kestrel a large Buprestid beetle 



{Psiloptera valens, Per. i.l.) ; he seized it in 

 his beak with a cry of evident pleasure, 

 then holding it in his foot tried to eat it, 

 but after a peck or two it slipped from 

 his grasp ; I gave it back to him several 

 times, but always with the same result — 

 the beetle was too slippery. Psilo'ptcrx 

 are all eaten readily by baboons, and it 

 would appear from this that their hard, 

 shiny integuments combined with their 

 torpedo-like shape form a very efficient 

 protection (apart from their procryptic 

 colouring) from all birds which are not 

 sufficiently large to swallow them entire. 



„ 8. Offered kestrel two Blepisanis haroldi, a 



small Longicorn with Lycoid markings, 

 but he would not touch them ; then a 

 Lycus Tostratus, at which he pecked but 

 was evidently displeased with the taste, 

 and neglected it. 



„ 12. Gave kesti-el a Precis picla&gis, Ju7ionia 

 cebrene, Precis sesavius ^ and Atella 

 'phalantha. He ate them all with evident 

 relish, though he seemed to experience a 

 little difficulty in managing them at first, 

 as he could not get a good hold with his 

 claw in order to pull them to pieces. So 



