308 MR. C. F. M. 8WYNNERT0N ON THE 



Exp. 87. — Septemher 12. Very hungry; tasted cautiously and pi^oniptly rejected, 

 wiping her bill and showing every sign of the greatest disgust, a brilliant red 

 adult "velvet mite" {Tronibidium sp.) from Chirinda (it tasted intensely of 

 ^maiM'is-cum-quinine), crushed and rejected Acrcea asema, readily ate a Terias 

 and a wingless Danaida ch7'ysippus, crushed well and very nearly swallowed but 

 brought up and threw away Acrcea rahira, crushed well and readily ate a wingless 

 Danaida, crushed and rejected Acroia rahira with some hesitation and Acrcsa 

 anemosa with promptitude. 



A few minutes later I again offered her a Danaida which she for some time 

 refused with emphatic shakes of the head but finally tasted. She at once rejected 

 it, shaking her head and wiping her bill. This Danaida was in no way abnormal 

 in the inatter of smell and it seemed probable that the two preceding ones, perhaps 

 not recognised without wings, had disagreed with the bird. The Acrcea rahira 

 was distinctly less disliked than either Acraia cdsemco or Acrcea anemosa, though 

 more so than Terias or Danaida. 



I now fed the bird on grasshoppers till she would eat no more. She then 

 crushed and rejected Pccpilio angolconus, Papilio trophonius (v. above), and Papilio 

 dardanus S • Five minutes later she readily ate a Gatopsilia Jlorella and a Papilio 

 dardanus S , tasted and rejected the trojyhonius, readily ate a Precis artaccia, and 

 again rejected the trophonius. Five minutes later she refused to touch the 

 trophonius, but readily ate a Precis natcdensis f . and again refused trophonius. 

 Five minutes later she refused trophonius, readily ate after crushing it P. angolantts, 

 refused trophonius, tasted and rejected angolanus, refused trophonius, and readily 

 accepted and ate Precis archesia. She then twice hesitatingly tasted (once by 

 a leg, once by an antenna) the Papilio trophonius and refused it ; again 

 readily accepted and ate a Precis archesia, refused trophonius, crushed and ate 

 P. angolcinus and again refused trophonius and Neptis agatha. 



[Summary : — 



1. Precis archesia.^ „ . , . ^ - 



/ Precis ncotalens'is © i. 



„, . , 2. P. anqolanus. ) 

 Terias.\ o r, / • 



o. U. chrysippus. 



4. A. rahira. 



5. A. asema, A. anem,osa. 



6. Tromhidium sp. (on manner). 



The tendency to try the trophonius was interesting, and suggested that it might 

 require less to overcome suspicion of an imperfect mimic than of the model.] 



P. dardanus $ f. tropho- 

 nius (refusal probably due 

 mainly to suspicion of 

 coloration). 



Exp. 88. — September 23. Ate several grasshoppers ; refused persistently to taste 

 a Terias, and crushed and very promptly rejected a Mycalesis campina, readily ate 

 Neptis ctgcUha and Eurytela dry ope, but after a few more grasshoppers rejected 

 Neptis agatha. 



I was interrupted here, but later the bird refused absolutely to touch Terias, 

 shaking her head each time I offered it, refused for a moment, then, changing her 

 mind, accepted and readily ate a Neptis agatha, refused persistently and with violent 

 shakes of the head to have anything to do with a Mycalesis campina, ate readily 



