346 MK. C. F. M. SWYNNEKTON ON THE 



upstanding central horn had made itself felt. On my reoffering it, the bird leant 

 round and seized it more cautiously, definitely avoiding the horn, then crushed 

 and ate it and after it a second. Even this, however, was once suddenly dropped, 

 and on my reoffering it the abdomen was battered off and eaten, and the thorax 

 dropped and refused on being reoffered. The first had given some difficulty in 

 swallowing. 



[^Orcler of ease : — 



1. Amiantus glohulipennis, Per. ("comparative ease"). 



2. Onthophagus panoplus (the horn, which however is confined 



to the males, was the first time of use in securing rejection). 



3. Hipporrhimts chirindensis, Mshl. (complete failure to crush).] 



Exp. 155. — March 2. Hungry. Leant forward to take a Psychid larva, but 

 findino- apparently on closer insj)ection that it did not look tempting withdrew 

 with a shake of the head. She immediately changed her mind, however, and 

 tasted the Psychid, but tossed it aside. I then fed her on grasshoppers, etc., till 

 she would eat no more. She now refused to taste a Cetoniid, Weptunides j)olychrotis, 

 tasted well and rejected a Cetoniid {^Ueterorrhina alternata, King) crushed by the 

 bulbul yesterday (it was only just alive), tasted and rejected a Cetoniid, Spilophorus 

 playosus, with elytra removed before presentation, took but thi-ew aside after but 

 a lazy and ineffectual pressure on it a Tenebrionid, Amiantus glohulipennis, seem.ed 

 disinclined to accept Nyctipao macrops, deterred probably by the huge wings. She 

 took it, nevertheless, battered off the thorax and swallowed the abdomen with one 

 wing attached. On my reoffering the thorax with the remaining three wings she 

 took it again with disinclination, and after holding it tossed it aside. 



[OrcZer : — 



1. Nyctipao macrops, but not necessarily more than just pre- 



ferred to 



2. AinioMtits glohulipennis, Spilophorus plagosus, Heterorrliina 



alternata, Neptitnides polychrous, and definitely placed very 

 low, whether on the merits of the larva itself or only on 

 account of its casing, the Psychid larva. 



Nyctipao macrops was only eaten partly and with evident disinclination. The 

 large wings were probably a strong deterrent to a bird barely hungry enough for 

 the moth.] 



Exp. 156. — March 6. I offered a Neptunides j'^olychrous, holding it by the legs, 

 when it suddenly opened its wings and commenced a great buzzing. This obviously 

 alarmed the roller, who, when she finally did make up her mind to try it, attacked 

 it as she would a wasp, seizing it, hurriedly crushing it and throwing it down. 

 This happened three or four times, after which I removed the elytra and reoffered 

 it. It was still taken with suspicion, but finally weZZ tasted twice in succession and 

 each time definitely rejected. The bird then tasted and rejected a Mylothris yulei 

 and I'efused to taste a Terias, but readily ate a large number of grasshoppers (chiefly 

 Tryxalis sp.). She finally refused most obstinately to touch another, though I 



