348 Mr. G. A. K. Marshall on 



one P. aganicc, two J. clelia, three male 



H. misippus, one P. trcpicalis, two P. 



hrasidas, two P. demodocus, one P. lycvus, 



and two P. forestan. He ate every one 



without the least hesitation, and evidently 



appreciated them, as he would follow me 



about, waiting for more. 



Apiil 1. Gave ground horn-bill one A. petrxa, two 



A. cahira, one P. hrasidas, one male H. 



misippus, and one P. cschria, all of which 



he ate readily. 



[It has already been pointed out that the acceptance of 



insects by insectivorous animals in captivity is no proof 



of their normal likes or dislikes in a wild state. Such 



acceptance only j^roves what their action would be when 



they had been, from some exceptional cause, kept without 



their normal food in its usual quantity and variety. Hence 



the fact that the Acrgeas were devoured is no evidence 



that they are normally eaten except in a time of unusual 



hunger. On tlie other hand, the rejection of two Z. chry- 



sipipus, after three Acroeas had been readily eaten, indicates 



that the former butterfly is decidedly distasteful to this 



species of bird. It must be remembered that five Acrseas 



were freely eaten on the next occasion. A comparison 



with the experiments on Mantides is interesting. — E. B. P.] 



11. The Insect-food of wild South African Birds. 

 (G. A. K. M.) 



[Even more important than the results of experiments 

 are the observations made and collected by Mr. Marshall 

 upon the contents of the stomachs of birds, and the record 

 of actual attacks made by birds upon insects, which have 

 been witnessed in the field. The contents of birds are 

 clearly shown in the two following tables, A and B, which 

 are printed just as I received them from Mr. Marshall, 

 except that I have added a brief description of the general 

 appearance of those insects which seemed to require it. 

 Mr. Marshall had only supplied such a description in three 

 or four cases. In future records of this kind it will be 

 advisable for the observer on the spot to supply such 

 notes, together with a brief account of the habits, in- 

 asmuch as conspicuousness or concealment depend upon 

 these quite as much as upon colour and pattern. — E. B. P.] 



