596 Mr. C. F. M. Swynncrtou on 



then, with an appearance of increased appetite, once again 

 attacked the portion of a fowl's egg re-ofl'ered in a spoon. 

 He showed (as he has done before) a mariced preference for 

 the yolk, and desisted when he had finished such as was 

 present. He neglected most of the white. 



The order suggested was: (1) Chelidon wbica, easily first. 

 It is quite likely that three or four grades may be found to 

 intervene between this and (2) Muscicapa grisoln. In these 

 grades, as in (2), would come the half-incubated Black- 

 bird's egg and the half-incubated and somewhat stale Sand- 

 piper's egg (not a fair test) of this experiment. (3) Accentor 

 modularis and Gallns domesticus. (4) Mutacilla yarrelli 

 and M. sulphwea, Troglodytes parvulus and Phylloscopus 

 trochilus. 



With the exception of the Sandpiper's, all the eggs used 

 were fresh, and, with the exception of that egg and the 

 Blackbird's, all were quite unincubated. The placing of the 

 Hedge-Sparrow's was not quite convincing, owing to its 

 unfortunate escape; therefore it cannot be regarded as quite 

 certain that it has now been placed below the Spotted Fly- 

 catcher's in the mongoose^'s estimation, though that is 

 probable. 



Expt. 18. June 30. — In the night the mongoose again 

 ate all the meat he was given and a fowl's e^g, but again 

 ignored a duck's egg. At 11 a.m. to-day I commenced to 

 experiment. He smelt and refused a Pied Wagtail's e^^ ; 

 smelt and refused the same broken into a spoon, the shell 

 removed, beautifully pellucid and fresh ; smelt and refused 

 a Wren^s egg and again the broken Wagtail's, going on to 

 refuse it persistently even when pushed right up to his nose; 

 refused a Spotted Flycatcher's at sight, but on my pressing 

 it on him he inserted his tongue and ate miich of it readily 

 enough before I removed it. He at once, then, began to 

 eat the broken WagtaiPs too, but quickly desisted and 

 refused it persistently, though he at once attacked and 

 finished the Flycatcher's re-offered. He then again tackled 

 the Wagtail's, but quickly stopped, having diminished it to 

 no appreciable extent by these two attacks. It should be 



