466 Mr. A. G. Butler on the Effect of offering 
“Triphena pronuba, Hepialus humuli, Cossus ligniperda, 
Zeuzera esculi, and Apamea didyma (all imagines).—Eaten 
with the greatest relish by a Persian Bulbul [Pycnonotus leu- 
cotis]}. 
“As regards flies (Musca domestica), I never saw anything 
like the eagerness which the Nightingales, Sedge- and 
Willow-Warbler showed for them, eating them in all stages 
(I had about half a pint of their maggots sifted out of a heap 
of refuse from the cages); the maggots were also greedily 
picked up by my Wrynecks. 
“Finches will eat any green caterpillar and all varieties of 
Mamestra brassice ; the Indigo Finch of North America and 
the Chaftinch prefer them infinitely to mealworms. 
“As regards other insects, the common broad centipede 
(Lithobius forficatus) is greedily eaten by Le¢othrix and the 
Brambling ; the latter bird will eat almost anything, even 
including Woodlice, which most birds reject after pinching 
them *, and I verily believe it would eat the nauseous kinds ; 
it would be a good bird to try with. 
“¢ Karwigs are eaten by all birds [which are] quick enough 
to pick them up; several species of plant-bugs (evil-smelling) 
and a Coccinella bipunctata were eaten by my Letothrizx. 
“ Pterostichus madidus.—Greedily broken up and devoured 
by my Nightingales. 
““T found the larve of Hyponomeuta padella and an 
allied species from the hedges almost invariably rejected by 
most birds; the Nightingales would sometimes eat them 
when hungry ¢; on the other hand, my Rose-Finch (Carpo- 
dacus) devoured them with avidity.” 
My second letter contained a few additional notes :— 
“I gave the larva of Spdlosoma menthastri to my Missel- 
Thrush yesterday, and he seized it immediately, rubbed it 
about on the earth to get rid of the hair, and swallowed it. 
I do not think that most birds would eat hairy caterpillars ; 
a friend informed me yesterday (Mr. H. Powell) that his fowls 
invariably refuse them. I should be almost afraid to try the 
Nightingales, as they are such voracious little fellows that 
they might swallow them heedlessly and kill themselves; 
and this brings me to your question as to their age. They 
were hatched about the first week of June, taken from the 
nest when nine days old, and I got them the following day ; 
they have therefore been full-grown since about the third 
week in July; indeed, the day after the feast on Cerura I 
* Quite recently I noticed my Blue Tits eating them with avidity. 
+ Being very voracious, this was sometimes possible to them. 
