the Coluraiiun of Eyrja. 597 



remarked, however, that even the Flycatcher's was not licked 

 out with great thoroughness yesterday or to-day: this may 

 be contrasted with his treatment of House-Martins' and 

 Sparrows' eggs. 



He next ate a portion (all I offered) of a Kestrel embryo 

 nearly ready to hatch, ate a very little of the white of the 

 broken Wagtail's e^^ (in this case he ignored the yolk), then 

 desisted and refused to eat more ; smelt and refused Grey 

 Wagtail's and Wren's, and, on my leaving them under his 

 nose, ignored them, then reached right over and past them 

 to a wing of the Kestrel embryo that I had previously 

 dropped, then (stimulated?) bit into but relinquished without 

 eating it the Grey Wagtail's egg and continued to ignore it 

 and the others. 



Fifteen minutes later the eggs of the Wren and Wagtail 

 were still being ignored. He smelt and refused the Pied 

 Wagtail's egg in the spoon (definitely offered), licked up a 

 little white of a duck's egg in another spoon, repeated all 

 his usual refusals, also Willow-Wren, but ate a somewhat 

 hard-set Blackbird's e^g. 



He smelt and refused eggs of Wren, Grey and Pied Wag- 

 tail, and Willow- Warbler, but smelt a Spotted Flycatcher's 

 eg^, and, on my putting it down on my side of where I had 

 placed the Wren's and Grey Wagtail's, leaned over them to 

 it without rising completely from his bed and tried to lick 

 it out. He could not avoid getting sand on to it, however, 

 so drew back and smelt and refused each of the others, then 

 leaned forward again to the Flycatcher's, and, stretching 

 out a paw, drew it towards him up to and between the other 

 two (separating them with it as he pulled it through), and 

 there licked it completely out, took a lick or two at the 

 Grey Wagtail's but at once desisted ; smelt and refused the 

 Wren's egg as it lay there, and again licked out assiduously 

 the already empty Flycatcher egg — presumably hungrier 

 than on previous occasions. 



Apparent order of preference : (1) Muscicapa grisola 

 (fresh) ; Falco tinnunculus (ready to hatch) ; Merula merula 

 (semi-incubated) ; Domestic Duck (fresh). (3) Motacilla 



