342 MR. C. F. M. SWYNNEllTON ON THE 



[^Order : — 



1. Freds natcdensis © f. and perhaps Gh. cithoiron, Precis 

 artaxia, P. tugela. 



12. Papilio lyceus. 

 6. P. dardanus <S perhaps ou manner above 

 > 4. P. angoCanus. 



The initial attitude towards P. natalensis was very interesting, and suggests that 

 even rarity — lack of practice — may be of use to a mimic under certain circumstances.] 



Exp. 149. — February 13. Tasted and at once flung away a common blue frog- 

 hopper, Tettigoniella cosmopolita, that settles conspicuously on the upper surface of 

 large leaves and is fairly fearless; shook her head once or twice at a IWias brigitta 

 with wings, but nevertheless a,ccepted, crushed, and swallowed it, and accepted a 

 brilliant metallic-green hymenopteron [Chrysis sp.). The wasp on being held by 

 its wings in the foi-ceps had adopted its usual plan of folding its head and thorax 

 over into the hollow of its abdomen, and remained like this perfectly motionless 

 while the bird endeavoured to crush it. She failed absolutely three times and 

 each time ended by throwing the wasp away. The latter continued to lie motion- 

 less when rejected, and showed no sign of life even wlien I picked it up to reopen 

 it. On the fourth occasion the roller succeeded in battering the wasp in two, but 

 ended by rejecting it once more. That this rejection was due to the extreme 

 toughness of the insect rather tlian to unpalatable qualities was shown by the 

 fact that on my now reofiering one or other portion four or five times it was each 

 time readily accepted and not rejected till the bird had made another attempt to 

 batter or crush it. The covering of the abdomen was so intensely tough as well as 

 hard that, when I squeezed it in from the sides, instead of breaking it would at 

 once resume its former shape on the pressure being removed. The merest 

 pressure on the sides of the separated abdomen served to extrude what looked like 

 a sting, and in life the insect, though rolled up like an armadillo and in all other 

 respects motionless, keeps darting this sting out (when hehl) now against the finger, 

 now the thumb, in the most alarming manner. 



After this incident I fed the bird up on grasshoppers till she would eat 

 no more. She then refused, and on my coaxing her crushed and rejected a 

 P. angolanus with one hindwing, and refused it without tasting on my removing 

 this, crushed and tasted far more thoroughly and tried to swallow a P. leonidas 

 with one foi^ewing attached, but the wing kept getting in her way and she finally 

 dropped the butterfly. On my reofFering it without the wing she ate it readily, 

 but proceeded to do the same for a wingless P. angolanus. 



[ 1. Papilio leonidas probably definitely better than P. angolanus. 



{2. Grasshoppers. 

 3. Terias brigitta, on manner, below grasshoppers. 

 4. Tettigoniella cosmopolita. Chrysis (failure). 



The incident of the hymenopteron illustrated well the value of toughness to 

 such an insect.] 



