VALIDITY OF SOME FORMS OF MIMICRY. 737 



Experiments on Birds in Colombo. 



The Brown Shrike. Lanius cristatus. 



28.12.08. Pinned a large Hypolimnas holina § (a mimic of 

 Euploeas) on a paling : in a few minutes the bird came along, and 

 directly it saw the butterfly it pounced upon it and carried it off, 

 and I could not see where it went, but I have no doubt it ate it. 



29.12.08. Pinned a Hypolimnas m.isippus $ on the paling. 

 The same Shrike saw it, seized it and held it in its claw, eating it 

 piecemeal and tearing off two or three wings. The following day 

 the same expeiiment was repeated with Danais chrysij)pus and 

 Telchinia violce, with the same result. 



6.4.09. Nuwara Eliya. Noticed one of these birds, perched on a 

 twig, fly down and capture some insect on the ground. I watched 

 it for a long time, but though many butterflies flew past, it took no 

 notice of them. They comprised principally Argynnis hyperhius, 

 many Appias sp. ? Euploea core, Terias hecahe, and Lethe daretis. 



28.11.09. Colombo. I* iit down Delias eiccharis ^ , several Euploea 

 core, Danais limniace 2, Pajnlio hector, and Telchinia violce alive but 

 mutilated. A Shrike came and looked at them keenly from a tree 

 close by, but did not attack them. A small Cuckoo flew over 

 them twice, but took no notice of them. 



21.10.09. Put down j^. misipjms S 5, E. core 4:. The Shrike, 

 perched in an oleander bush, evidently saw them, but for quite an 

 houi- took no further notice though it took several insects close to 

 them. It eventually took one, pei'haps two, Euploeas. I picked 

 up the others. 



Magpie Robin. Oopsychus saula7'is. 



25.1.09. Put a number of Terias hecabe (unpalatable) in the 

 porch of my house, where the Robin comes to feed morning and 

 evening ; some had their wings removed, but it took no notice of 

 any of them. 



4.2.09. Placed 1 T. violce, 1 E. core, 2 T. hecabe, and 1 Precis 

 lemonias wingless, and 1 normal T. hecabe on the veranda. The 

 bird ate the Euploe.a with difficulty owing to its being very dry, 

 and it took the body of the wingless T. hecabe in its bill, but 

 dropped it almost immediately as it was too dry ; it took no notice 

 of the others. 



6.2.09. Placed specimens of the above on the veranda dead 

 but uninjured, and a wingless T. hecabe ; the bird ate the latter 

 but took no notice of the others. 



Mr. Ormiston informs me that a Magpie Robin in his garden 

 has become so confidential as to take food from his fingers and 

 that it will eat " almost any kind of butterfly when thrown to it," 

 but he has never seen it catch one. Neither have I dmnng the 

 seven years I have closely observed this species. 



21.10.09. Put down E. core 5 and D. chrysippus 1, with the 

 wings on one side removed. A young Magpie Robin, as shown by 

 its speckled breast, captui'ed one Euplcect, and though evidently 



