GUSTATORY SENSIBILITY 253 



are able to determine the taste of an insect, for 

 instance, by taking it up in the tip of their beak, 

 but sometimes, as in the case of the Starling above 

 quoted, do not seem to know whether they will 

 like such an object or not till they have actually 

 swallowed it ; in this case the sensation, satis- 

 factory or otherwise, must be determined by the 

 stomach. I have seen a toad swallowed and rejected 

 by two large Gulls in succession, and then tried 

 by a third, which after retaining it a while, threw 

 it up and looked at it, but swallowed it again on 

 seeing another coming to investigate, and retained 

 it as long as I watched. 



Here the process of killing and swallowing by the 

 first experimenters had evidently eliminated most of 

 the toad's poisonous skin-secretion, but left a dis- 

 tinct power of causing disturbance of a kind ; and 

 after all we ourselves do not know in the case of 

 many articles of food if they will " agree with us " 

 till after eating. Birds after tasting something they 

 dislike will often vigorously wipe their beaks, and 

 this is a good sign to follow, if it be borne in mind 

 that wiping the beak may occur under other cir- 

 cumstances. 



In the case of dry grain, etc., which is swallowed 

 whole, as by Pigeons and Game-birds, all pleasurable 

 sensation must of course be stomachic, and this 

 must be great to induce birds to swallow with 

 pleasure such substances as acorns, and monkey- 

 nuts in the husk, so beloved by Wood-Pigeons. 

 The birds in this case seem to come at an idea of 



