Mr. R. I. Pocock on a new Species of Rhax. 473 
1st October. 
Caterpillar of Mamestra persicarie offered to Wryneck ; 
licked, but rejected; immediately eaten by Nightingale. 
2nd October. 
Quedius eaten by Leiothrix. 
3rd October. 
Caterpillar of Mamestra persicarie rejected (as too large to 
swallow) by Wryneck ; eaten at once by Nightingale. 
5th October. 
Caterpillar of Spilosoma menthastri eaten by Blackbird. 
After this date nothing occurred worth recording, as L 
found it difficult to obtain insects of any kind with the excep- 
tion of mealworms and a few house-flies, 
It is noteworthy, from an examination of the above records, 
that no insect in any stage excepting the red-tailed humble- 
bee (which, by the way, I only offered to the Missel-Thrush) 
was rejected by all my birds; those insects which were 
refused by certain species were eagerly devoured by others, 
so that it was impossible to conclude that any of them enjoyed 
perfect immunity from destruction. In the second place, so 
far from my birds learning by experience to reject with scorn 
that which they had proved to be unpalatable, I found that 
in some instances they seemed to acquire a taste for larve 
previously refused. Birds are very intelligent, but their 
memories are ridiculously short. 
LX.—A new Species of Rhax. By R. I. Pocock, 
of the British Museum (Natural History). 
Rhax semiflava, sp. n. 
Clothed with more or less golden hairs. 
Colour.—The cephalic plate and cheliceree chocolate-brown ; 
thoracic membrane white ; sides of the abdomen paler brown ; 
first five abdominal tergites dark brown on the upper surface ; 
the succeeding four tergites pale testaceous above; the anal 
somite wholly blackish ; under surface of the body wholly 
testaceous. Legs mostly testaceous ; the maxillary palpi with 
chocolate-brown tarsus and metatarsus; the first pair of legs 
with brown terminal segment; dactyli of chelicerz and ocular 
tubercle black. 
Chelicere.— Movable digit bearing a minute tooth in 
front of the large principal tooth, and with a single small 
Ann. & Mag. N. Hist. Ser. 6. Vol. iv. 34 
