EXPLANATION OF FORM AND COLOURING. 341 



creature, I found on looking closely, though inside the bill itself, had embraced the 

 tip of the upper mandible with its claspers and was holding on tight. Finally, the 

 bird flung it right away with an air of irritation. On my at once reofiering it, 

 however, it was accepted very readily, crushed without a recurrence of the previous 

 difficulty, and eaten. 

 [^Order : — 



1. Precis artaxia and Ligaria. 



2. H. misippus $ and II, wahlbergi on manner above the 



Papilios. 

 Papilio lyceics, f 3. Papilio angolanus. 

 Scdius basalts. [ 4. Grasshoppers. 



Interesting points were the probable force of the Salius's sting (probably the 

 wasp was otherwise unpleasant to some extent as well), the mantis's rather effective 

 defence, and the thorough tasting of the two species of Hypolimnas.^ 



Exp. 147. — February 11. After a full feed of grasshoppers regarded a wingless 

 body of P. artaxia with apparent suspicion and could not be induced to taste it. 



Exp. 148. — February 12. Fed on grasshoppers till she would eat absolutely not 

 one more, readily ate a P. lyoius, refused obstinately even to taste P. angolanus, 

 tasted very thoroughly and threw away a c? P. dardamcs, readily ate another 

 P. lyceus, refused, then once more tasted and rejected P. dardamts, again refused 

 to have anything to do with the P. angolanus, crushed well and rejected P. lyams, 

 but on my removing its one hindwing ate it fairly readily, as also three others 

 without wings, the last two with a good deal of disinclination. She then leant 

 forward to take a Precis natalensis f . with all four wings (underside shown), but 

 drew back before tasting it in evident suspicion and with shakes of the head. 

 1 removed all but half a hindwing and reoffered it with the upper surface showing 

 (to avoid exhibiting the white spots on a black ground), at the same time holding 

 the forceps over the remainder of the red ground-colour. The bird accepted it 

 readily, but the red that was displayed by the removal of the forceps quite possibly 

 rendered her suspicious, for she at once paiised and appeared doubtful whether to 

 go on, then hesitatingly dropped it. On my at once reoflfering it she accepted it 

 doubtfully, but this time definitely crushed it and, evidently reassured, swallowed 

 it. She then ate a wingless Charaxes cithcEron $ , obstinately refused to touch a 

 P. lyceus, also without wings, rather more readily accepted, tasted well, and then ate 

 without hesitation a Precis natalensis with one hindwing attached, very readily 

 accepted and ate the next, dropped the next, as also a P. artaxia, and refused even to 

 taste Antanartia schceneia and Catacroptera cloanthe (underside shown). Evidently 

 replete. 



Five minutes later she accepted with disinclination, crushed slightly, and dropped 

 Precis clelia and A. schceneia. 



Three minutes later she readily ate C. cloanthe, refused without tasting 

 A. schceneia, the hindwing of which had now come ofi", readily accepted and ate 

 P. natalensis O f. and P. artaxia, refused without tasting Atella p)halantha (with 

 wings) and Ant. schceneia, readily ate a P. tugela, again refused the Atella and the 

 Antanartia, but once more quite readily accepted and ate a P. natalensis f. 



