the Coloration of Eyys. 581 



Apparent preference : 



1, Amhlyospiza albifrons. 



2, Hyphantornis jamesoni "1 



(spotted blue). I 



^3. Pycnonotus layardi (hard- ! 



Crateropus UrU, set). | ^'■«*^'^'''« semitorques. 



•■) 



Macronyx (fresh). | 4. Macronyx croceus (hard-se- 

 and Serinus icterus 



Expt. 5. Feb. 4. Later experinaent, 8 p.m. — No food since 

 last experinaent. Most persistently and for a very long time 

 refused the Canary egg, very readily ate one of C. ardens, 

 continued to ignore that of the Canary, gnawed slightly and 

 rejected a leg each of small nestlings of A. albifrons and 

 Colius minor. 



Preferences : 



1. Egg of Coliuspasser ardens. 



2. „ Serinus icterus. 



Nestlings of A. albifrons and Colius minor were rejected 

 when the rat must have been still far from repletion- 

 point, 



Expt. 6. Feb. 5. — Gave only a small feed last night to 

 rat (of water-made maize-porridge only, no animal food) 

 and nothing this morning. At 8.30 a.m. I began to experi- 

 ment. I first inserted the cream-coloured egg of Chalcopelia 

 afra, nearly fresh, and the rat ate a third of it, lapping and 

 stopping, lapping and stopping, before I removed it. I 

 allowed three or four minutes for possible after-eflfects, and 

 re-offered the egg. Another third was now eaten before I 

 again removed it, and offered a diminutive scrap of bread, 

 which was at once hungrily accepted and eaten. On my 

 replacing the Dove^s egg in the cage, the rat again began to 

 eat it and I again removed it. I offered the Canary egg. 

 I had only one left intact, and what remained of yesterday's 

 was drying up. I accordingly blew a greater part of the 

 former (fairly hard-set) into the latter's shell and offered 

 this. The rat at once ate out all its contents — those of the 

 other egg and its own, — ate two small scraps of bread, ate 

 without hesitation the remaining contents of the new Canary 

 egg ; commenced to eat also a slightly hard-set egg of 



