PALATABILITY OF SOME BRITISH INSECTS. 833 



Larva of Cinnabar Moth. 



Aug. 15, 1909. Inspected but not touched by English 

 Thrush. 



Offered to many fowls, only one of which pecked it, but di'opped 

 it at once and took no further notice. 



Magpie Moth {Abraxas grossulariata). 



Aug. 1909. Offered to fowls, was inspected by several, but 

 only pecked by one, which at once dropped it, and made no 

 further attempt. 



Small Green Geometra larva, probably of Cahera 

 pusaria or exanthemaria. 



May 26, 1909. One taken without any hesitation by a Shama ; 

 but dropped. Then taken a second time, and dropped. When 

 prepai'ing to take it a third time, he was deprived of it by a 

 Black-headed Sibia, which after spending a few seconds adjusting 

 it in his beak, swallowed it. It appeared to me that the Shama 

 dropped this larva accidentally, owing to lack of skill in adjusting 

 it in his beak, rather than intentionally. He was just as eager 

 to take it, although dead, the third time, as the first. 



The Swallow Prominent {Pheasia dictcea or tremidce). 



July 12, 1909. Flattened itself to the ground but was at once 

 pounced upon by the same Flycatcher that had just eaten the 

 Hemerobiid (see p. 835). The bird, without any hesitation, ate 

 it with all speed, being merely delayed by the ti'ouble of adjusting 

 tlie wings. Both this moth and Mamestra persicarice betrayed 

 their identity as Lepidoptera by flying out of the boxes to the 

 ground, so I had no chance of judging -whether the Flycatcher 

 or other birds would have been deceived by their procryptic 

 coloi'ation. 



The Buff-tip (Phalera hucephala) (imago). 



July 5, 1909. Not being aware of this moth's propensity, I 

 picked it up by the wings, whereupon it immediately twisted its 

 abdomen round and ejected a stream of white fluid over my 

 fingers. I regret that I missed seeing this defensive device 

 practised on a bird. However, I placed the moth on a wooden 

 branch, and a Fantailed Flycatcher flew down to inspect it ; after 

 loooking at it for a few seconds, he flew away. I then put it near 

 a Shama, who hopped up to it and almost immediately picked 

 it up by the thorax. The other birds in the aviary now became 

 interested and pursued the Shama, giving him no chance of 

 eating it. When on the wing he dropped the moth, and the 

 Fantailed Flycatcher, which had previously taken no notice of it. 



