various Insects, Larve, and Pupe to Birds. 467 
had to separate them, in consequence of their fighting almost 
incessantly in the vicious manner of adult birds. 
“ With regard to Orgyia 9: my lizards never ate it, and 
I could not understand why, as they must sometimes have 
seen it hanging on a bramble-leaf in the vivarium or feebly 
kicking on its back after laying its unfertilized eggs. 
“My sole remaining Wryneck is at present strong and 
lively, and readily picks up caterpillars, especially green ones ; 
mealworms and earwigs it licks, but they are too smooth and 
hard-shelled to suit its taste. I find, however, that it will eat 
the common house-fly in all stages, including the pupa, which 
it picks up with its bill, not with its tongue. 
“As to instinctive likes or dislikes: my little Sedge- 
Warbler is tond of Pieris brassice, chases him over the cage 
until he has pinned him down, and then knocks him about 
until little more than the body remains, and this he swallows ; 
in his natural state I do not believe the Sedge- Warbler would 
even look at anything so big, there being plenty of small flies 
and spiders amongst the reeds and sedges. I much doubt 
whether a Missel-Thrush would chase a white butterfly if at 
liberty ; but in a large cage he does so in the most reckless 
manner, sometimes quite damaging his appearance by cutting 
his face against the wires in his eagerness to seize his prey. 
“ Generally speaking, when I say that an insect is eaten 
by any species, it has not been tried with any other; in the 
case of Pterostichus madidus, however, the Missel-Thrush has 
eaten it; he and the Nightingales have both eaten the common 
cockroach with evident relish. 
** About a month since a man brought me about a dozen 
full-grown larve of the large cockchater (Melolontha), which 
were greedily eaten by the Missel-Thrush, Song-Thrush, 
Blackbird, Skylark, and Bulbul ; the dirty stains all over the 
walls of their cages remain to this day. 
“Yesterday my Missel-Thrush and one of my Starlings 
took the grey-tailed humble-bee, and after a few rubs swal- 
lowed them whole; the Starling certainly swallowed his alive 
and kicking.” 
My third letter merely gives the results recorded on the 
first day of my diary, which commenced on the 
16th August. 
Offered larva of Acronycta alni to Missel-Thrush ; crushed 
and contents eaten ; skin left. 
Vanessa urtice (larva).—Offered to Weaver-birds and 
Brambling ; rejected without trial. To Nightingale; killed 
