On the Relations of India?i Insectivorous Birds to Butterflies. 305


they were hatched) they spent most of their time in the run

sunning themselves. They now commenced to pick up food for

themselves, and our chief troubles were ended. They grew

rapidly, feeding on fresh ants' cocoons and gentles almost ex-

clusively ; soft food and small seeds were supplied but hardly

touched. When the sun shone they basked in it, but when the

weather was cold and dull they retired into the warm foster-

mother. By the twelfth day they were practically feathered with

the exception of their heads which still retained the down, and

when fifteen days old (July nth) they were transferred to a

sheltered run in the aviary. I left home on this date, and on my

return a week later the chicks had grown well. Their heads,

which feather last of all, are now covered with quill feathers and

the birds are nearly as large as the adult male. One shows very

distinctly the reddish nuchal collar of the adult female, and is

doubtless of that sex.


I think they may now (July 21st) be considered completely

reared.



THE RELATIONS of INDIAN INSECTIVOROUS BIRDS


TO VARIOUS BUTTERFLIES OF THAT COUNTRY.


By F. Finn, B.A., F.Z.S.


(Summary of Experiments, reprinted by permission from the Journal of the

Asiatic Society of Bengal, Vol. LXVII. Pt. II., 1897).


The Common Babblers {Crateropus canorus~) dealt with in

my first paper (J.A.S.B., LXIV., Pt. 2, 1895, P- 344) ate the

Danaine butterflies readily enough in the absence of others, but

when offered a choice showed their dislike of these "protected"

forms by avoiding them. This avoidance was much more marked

when the birds were at liberty, though even so a few of the

objectionable butterflies were eaten. Delias eucharis and Papilio

aristolockitz were also disliked by this bird, more especially the

latter.


Although I did not experiment on any of them at liberty,

my experience with the Liothrix (Lioihtix hileus), Mesia {Mesia

arge?ita7iris'), Bhimraj (Dissemurus paradiseus), King-crow (Dicru^

rus ater), Starling {Sturnus menzbieri') and Shama (Kittacincla



