380 MR. C. F. M. SWYNNBRTON ON THE 



A little later he again refused Eurytela hiarbas, readily ate A. schoeneia, refused, 

 then crushed and rejected Papilio demodocus, refused most persistently Papilio 

 lycpus, accepted and ate, but this time with disinclination, an A. schoeneia, refused 

 to taste Papilio demodocus, Pajnlio lyceus, or another A. schoeneia, but accepted, 

 crushed, and ate a Precis antilope f . 



A few minutes later he again refused Eurytela hiarhas, accepted, crushed, and 

 threw away the Papilio demodocus, i-efused Papilio lyceus and Papilio dardamis J , 

 refused, with shakes of the head, but finally tasted hesitatingly and, having done 

 so, crushed and swallowed a Char axes zoolina, regarded with apparent suspicion, 

 and three or four times accepted, crushed, and dropped Precis natalensis wet f. 



After a further and longer interval he refused positively and persistently to 

 touch Mycalesis cartipina, Neptis goochi, Eurytela hiarhas, Pajnlio demodocus $ , 

 Papilio dardamos d , Pajnlio lyceus S , ffypolimnas misippus S , a Charaxes hrutus, 

 which I offered repeatedly, rubbed round his bill, let flap in front of him and, in 

 short, did everything I knew to tempt him with, and several of the more palatable 

 grasshoppers. He was looking straight in front of him with the thoughtful and 

 abstracted air of a bird about to bring up a pellet. 



And, sure enough, he brought it up, immediately afterwards seizing, crushing, 

 and swallowing a grasshopper. I was interrupted here. 



Sixteen minutes later he persistently refused Acrcea johnstoni, refused for a 

 moment, then changing his mind, accepted and ate a Mycalesis campina, then 

 accepted and crushed very thoroughly, but finally threw away and refused to 

 receive again a Belenois severina. 



I now gave each of the other birds their noon-day feed of grasshoppers, &c., and 

 the roller was disappointed and angry at getting none. He siilked for a time, 

 refusing to accept from me any butterflies whatsoever, even Charaxes hrutus or 

 candiope, which he probably prefers to any grasshoppers, then took to battering 

 against the bars and trying generally to get out to them. Once he refused 

 obstinately Mycalesis campina and JVeptis goochi, but ate readily Eurytelct hiarhas, 

 barely tasted and refused the next, refused persistently Neptis goochi, ate readily 

 Herpcenicc eriphia, but then ate a Mycalesis campina, too. When I finally gave 

 him the grasshoppers he ate them eagerly, even including several species that 

 ordinarily he . would not have looked at beside a Papilio lyceus, to say nothing 

 of a Charaxes. Later he accepted, crushed well, and half swallowed a 

 Eurytela hicirhas, but thinking better of it brought it up again, crushed it again, 

 and rejected it. He refused both upperside and underside, then crushed and 

 rejected Ilypolimnas misippus S and Papilio demodocus, refused, then barely 

 tasted and rejected Papilio dardcmus S accepted and ate a Tagiades flesus and a 

 Heuotesia perspicua, and again refused Ilypolimnas misipptts, Eurytela hiarhas, 

 Papilio demodocus, and Papilio dardamos c? • A delay of less than five minutes 

 occurred here while I hunted up one or two butterflies ; he then crushed well and 

 swallowed Precis natalensis (wet) and c? Ilypolimnas misippus, but refused to touch 

 the Papilio demodocus or the Papilio dardanus. 



Sooii afterwards he refused to touch Mycalesis campina or Neptis agatha, tasted 

 and at once rejected Eicrytela hiarbas, refused Atella phalantha, accepted Pajnlio 



