630 P. Finn — Experiments with various Birds. [No. 4, 



malabarica) some Zosterops and two Yellow-vented (one new) and one 

 Red-whiskered Bulbul only. The Chloropsis is a leaf-hunting bird, 

 arboreal in habit, and also capturing insects on the wing. It does not 

 use its foot in manipulating its prey, and swallows large insects with 

 difficulty. The genus is widely distributed in the Oriental region. The 

 Zosterops are very small birds, and of little or no importance in this 

 connection. 



Experiments with various Birds (on plain diet) Series D. 



I. Offered the Chloropsis heads of different butterflies ; he ate 

 those of non-warningly-coloured species readily, but refused heads of 

 Danais chrysippus, wiping his beak after trying these. I put a number 

 of live Euplceas and a D. chrysippus into the aviary, and one of the 

 former was seized by a Yellow-vented Bulbul, while a Liothrix soon 

 after took another, which I did not see it eat. In fact, I soon after- 

 wards saw one of these birds take and drop one. I offered the Chloropsis 

 a Papilio polites, and while he was looking at it a Liothrix (the 

 original bird) took it away, and proceeded to eat it, while there were 

 plenty of Euplmas about. The birds had had very few insects for several 

 days. 



I then pulled off the wings of a P. polites and offered the body to 

 the Chloropsis, which he took very readily, but dropped it (after some 

 manipulation), as also did two Liothrix in succession. 



The other day the Chloropsis had readily seized a large non-warn- 

 ingly-coloured butterfly, but it was snatched from him. 



I then put in specimens of D. limniace, genutia, and chrysippus, and 

 P. demoleus, none of which I saw taken, though I saw a Liothrix 

 catch a B. genutia (I think) and let it go again, and the Chloropsis 

 flew at some butterfly but did not catch it. 



The Yellow-vented Bulbul apparently ate the Euplcea which, as 

 stated above, it attacked, and I saw a bird of this kind attacking another 

 Euploea, 



I offered the Chloropsis a male Elymnias undularis. He took it 

 immediately, and manipulated it till he lost it by accident, and a Liothrix 

 (the original bird) took it. I cannot say whether this bird ate it, 

 as I saw a Yellow-vented Bulbul with part. Just then another Liothrix 

 had an Euploea. While watching the Chloropsis I saw a Liothrix take 

 and drop a D. genutia. 



The Chloropsis then readily took and with some trouble ate a 

 Junonia. He readily eats small moths and flies. 



I left the Liothrix at night attacking Euplwas, but they were not 

 eager. Next day all the butterflies were gone. 



