The Bionomics of ^onth African Insects. 343 



the acidity of tlie abdumen. A Poly- 

 hirma cxnigma, was at once eaten by- 

 kestrel. I tben offered him Gmi)hipterus 

 lineolatus, tail first; he pecked at it and 

 received a small discharge of acid in the 

 mouth, whereupon ho shook his head 

 and began wiping his beak vigorously on 

 the perch, as though to get rid of the 

 taste. Upon the beetle being presented 

 head first, he took it with caution and ate 

 it. The same residts were obtained with 

 Grcvphvpterus 'icaJdbcrgi, G. Itilincatus, and 

 G. lineolatus, they being refused when 

 presented tail first and eaten when 

 reversed. It should be noted that these 

 beetles all discharge their secretions 

 violently when captured, and therefore 

 the kestrel would probably receive a 

 comparatively small dose of the acid. 

 February 1. Gave kestrel an Atclla 2J^^alantha ; ^ he 

 seemed a good deal doubtful about it at 

 first, but finally ate it without any signs 

 of distaste. He then ate a Junonia 

 cebrcne and a Byllia ilithyia with manifest 

 enjoyment. I then offered L. chrysvpinis ; 

 he accepted it readily, pulled off the 

 head which he discarded, pecked a 

 little at the tough thorax and wings, and 

 then let it drop ; on offering it again he 

 took it, gave it a few pecks and jerked it 

 away with his beak. He then ate a 

 Hamctnmnida dxclalus and accepted an 

 A. caldarena, of which he ate a small part 

 of the abdomen and threw away the rest. 

 After this he ate with pleasure a P. sesamus 

 (natalensis form), J. cebrcne, and B. ilithyia. 

 Several Onitis cdexis were then given 

 to the kestrel, which ate them readily. 

 Anomcdipiis plebeius was too hard for him, 

 and after five minutes' hard pecking he 

 had only succeeded in pulling off the 

 head; I therefore broke it up for him, 

 and it was promptly eaten. He then 

 refused Clintcria infuscata, Mylahris Jiolo- 



