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



"Triphcena pronuha, Hepialus humuh', Cossus ligniperda, 

 Zeuzera msculi^ and Apamea didyma (all imagines). — Eaten 

 with the greatest relish bj a Persian Biilbul [Pycnonotus leu- 

 cotis] . 



As regards flies [Musca domestica) , I never saw anything 

 like the eagerness which the Nightingales, Sedge- and 

 Willow- Warbler showed for them, eating them in all stages 

 (I had about half a pint of their maggots sifted out of a heap 

 of refuse from the cages) ; the maggots were also greedily 

 picked up by my Wrynecks. 



" Finches will eat any green caterpillar and all varieties of 

 Mamestra hrassica> ; the Indigo Finch of North America and 

 the Chaffinch prefer them infinitely to mealworms. 



"As regards other insects, the common broad centipede 

 (Lithohius forficaius) is greedily eaten by Leiotlirix and the 

 Brambling ; the latter bird will eat almost anything, even 

 including Woodlice, which most birds reject after pinching 

 them *, and I verily believe it would eat the nauseous kinds ; 

 it would be a good bird to try with. 



"Earwigs are eaten by all birds [which are] quick enough 

 to pick them up ; several species of plant-bugs (evil-smelling) 

 and a CoccineUa hipunctata were eaten by my Leiotlirix. 



''^ Pterosticlms madidus. — Greedily broken up and devoured 

 by my Nightingales. 



I found the larv£e of Ilyponomeuta padella and an 

 allied species from the hedges almost invariably rejected bv 

 most birds ; the Nightingales would sometimes eat them 

 when hungry t; on the other hand, my Rose-Finch {Garpo- 

 dacus) devoured them with avidity." 



My second letter contained a few additional notes : — 

 " 1 gave the larva of Spilosoma menthastri to my Missel- 

 Thrusli yesterday, and he seized it immediately, rubbed it 

 about on the earth to get rid of the hair, and swallowed it. 

 I do not think that most birds would eat hairy caterpiUars ; 

 a friend informed me yesterday (Mr. H. Powell) that his fowls 

 invariably refuse them. I should be ahnost afraid to try the 

 Nightingales, as they are such voracious little fellows that 

 they might swallow them heedlessly and kill themselves; 

 and this brings me to your question as to their age. They 

 were hatched about the first week of June, taken from the 

 nest when nine days old, and 1 got them the following day ; 

 they have therefore been full-grown since about the third 

 week in July ; indeed, the day after the feast on Cerura I 



* Quite recently I noticed my Blue Tits eating them with avidity, 

 t Being very voracious, this was sometimes possible to them. 



