254 FACULTIES OF BIRDS. 



by taste in their preference or rejection of certain 

 articles. The black-cap (Philomela atricapilla), for 

 instance, which is very fond of berries, will greedi- 

 ly devour those of the elder, the privet, the honey- 

 suckle, and the ivy, as well as currants and grapes ; 

 but it will not touch the berries of the bitter-sweet 

 (Solarium dulcamara) which a redbreast in the adja- 

 cent cage seemed to relish, while he rejected the 

 privet berries. What appeared to be the most re- 

 markable circumstance in these experiments was, 

 that the berries are for the most part swallowed en- 

 tire, without the bird breaking or bruising them with 

 its bill. Now it is difficult for us to conceive that 

 the berry could be tasted while it remains unbro- 

 ken ; at least our organs are too obtuse to distin- 

 guish tastes under such circumstances.* 



The observations of Mr. Knapp upon these birds 

 agree exactly with our own. " Our gardens," he 

 says, " shrubberies, and orchards become their re- 

 sort, seeking for the fruits usually produced in those 

 places. 



"All these fruit-eating birds seem to have a very 

 discriminating taste, and a decided preference for 

 the richest sorts, the sweetest variety of the goose- 

 berry or the currant always being selected; and, 

 when they are consumed, less saccharine dainties 

 are submitted to : but the hedgeberry of the season 

 our little foreign connoisseurs disdain to feed on, 

 leaving it for the humbler-appetited natives ; they are 

 away to sunnier regions and more grateful food."f 



With respect to insects and other small animals 

 upon which the same birds also feed, they are equal- 

 ly nice in their preferences and rejections. We had 

 a fauvette (Philomela hortensis), for example, which 

 was exceedingly fond of spiders (Phalangium opilio, 

 Epeira diadema, cf-c.)? the largest of which it would 

 contrive to swallow ; but the black-cap, though it 



* J. Rennie. t Journ. of a Naturalist, p. 232, 3d edit. 



