various Insects, Larve, and Pupe to Birds. 465 
appears to doubt the probability of lizards eating the males of 
Orgyia antiqua or the moths of Abraxas grossulariata), as 
follows :—“ I frequently hung up the newly emerged Orgyia 
females in my lizard-house, and as the doors were not made 
by a cabinet-maker, but by myself, there was plenty of room 
for the males to squeeze through ; the lizards used to sit by 
the door, after seeing two or three males enter there, and 
regularly snap them up and swallow them as they entered 
the cage or vivarium; I have seen this dozens of times, and 
am not mistaken, nor, for that matter, am I in the case of A. 
grossulariata ; indeed, I accounted to myself for the fact that 
the imago was eaten where the larva was rejected, on the 
supposition that the acridity of the larva was derived from 
the gooseberry and that it had passed away during the pupal 
stage.”’ 
iN ow, as to my birds: I have at present 95, of 32 species*, 
and I have had the young of several other species during the 
year, only they have died. 
“Cerura vinula, larva.—Fought for, shaken to death, 
banged on the floor of the cage (as a Thrush bangs a snail), 
the viscera devoured as shaken out, the blood pecked even 
from the walls, and the elongated skin finally swallowed 
whole [by three young Nightingales]. The tails did not 
deter the Nightingales from attacking this larva for a second ; 
indeed, they seized upon them as handles to pull by, much to 
my astonishment, for they are somewhat spiny. 
“‘Mamestra brassice, larva.—Eaten by all birds; but Wry- 
necks will not pick up any but the green variety ; the others 
they will swallow when their beaks are opened and the larvee 
administered as pills. 
“Orgyta antiqua, larva.—Eaten without hesitation (but 
always after rubbing on the ground) by my Missel-Thrush. 
“Halia wavaria [larva].—Katen by Nightingales, Sky- 
larks, ‘Thrushes, Canaries. 
“Biston hirtaria, larva.—Eaten by Ledothrix (the Pekin 
Nightingale). 
“Ganoris brassice and rape [imago].—Eaten by Nightin- 
gales, Thrushes, Starlings, Blackbirds, Sedge-Warbler, 
Weaver-birds, Ledothrix; examined by Canaries, which, 
however, were startled by their sudden movements; eagerl 
looked after by various species of Lstrelda (small Waxbills), 
but I would not trust so large a Lepidopteron with such timid 
little creatures. 
* I subsequently purchased others, bringing the number at one time 
up to 108; but many died before the end of the year, chiefly of typhoid 
fever. : 
