464 Mr. A. G. Butler on the Effect of offering 



birds *, — I think I cannot do better than publish the whole of 

 my observations in detail. 



I may mention here that in my late paper, whilst speaking 

 of the^ behaviour of my birds when confronted with Zeuzera 

 cesculi, I had quite forgotten how eagerly in years past my 

 Bulbul had devoured the species. How Mr. Poulton over- 

 looked the fact that my tiny Waxbills did not hesitate to 

 attack a full-grown (female of) Ejjeira diademata on the 4th 

 September I cannot say ; it is only one out of numerous 

 instances which I could adduce to show that even the smallest 

 birds do not consider size where they see a luxury before 

 them. W^gt*'^iis are nervous over large spiders, but Blue 

 Tits, Eobins, Nightingales, and immerous other insectivorous 

 birds prefer them to small ones ; even the most awful-looking 

 Tegenaria domesiica is eagerly seized by a Blue Tit, and the 

 poplar hawk- moth has no chance in an aviary with that 

 plucky little acrobat. 



The notes which I now propose to publish in extenso com- 

 mence in the form of letters written to Mr. Poulton, and are, 

 by that gentleman's wish, continued in the form of a diary. 

 In the original MS. I recorded everything, wliether interesting 

 to Mr. Poulton or not, because it saved me from keeping a 

 double diary ; as, however, the account of my purchases or 

 losses by death are not to the purpose (since the causes of 

 death proved to be in no way coimected with diet), 1 do not 

 think it necessary to repeat them here. 



I may mention that, previous to the preparation of my 

 notes, Mr. Poulton was kind enougli to express his willingness 

 that I should put them in print myself, and although I did not 

 then wish to do so, his late irritation at my publication of a 

 few facts has somewhat altered my intention. It is true that 

 m^ birds at the present time are in a more natural condition 

 than they were in 1887, since at that time they were in rather 

 a confined space, whereas now they have abundance of room 

 for flight and opportunities for catching much insect-food ; 

 but in 1887 my birds were by no means ever allowed to be 

 hungry, and not a few of them, and more especially the 

 finches, when opened after death, have shown too clearly that 

 excess of good living has been the sole cause of their demise. 



I shall now proceed to quote from the letters containing my 

 earlier notes, and then pass on to my regular diary. My first 

 letter refers to one or two footnotes to Mr. Poulton's paper in 

 the 'Proceedings of the Zoological Society' (in which he 



* One might iruagine from Mr. Poulton's remark that the larva of 

 Siavropns fngi left the Bgg full-grown. 



