C>44 F. Finn — Experiments with various Birds. [No. 4, 



The birds now had no butterflies for several days, and I commenced 

 a new series of experiments, having considerably changed the personnel 

 of the aviary, which now contained only three Liothrix and two Zoste- 

 rops, the Chloropsis and Yellow-vented Bnlbul, and a Sibia (Lioptila 

 capistrata) and Mesia (Mesia argentauris). The last two species resemble 

 Liothrix in their feeding habits, and the latter is a very close ally of 

 that bird. This occasion was the first on which these two birds had 

 butterflies from me, having been newly introduced. 



With these I made the following experiments, of which I give the 

 dates. 



Experiments with various Birds (on liberal diet) Series F. 



April 30th. I put in two male Hypolimnas, one Euploea, one Papilio 

 panope, all decapitated. A Liothrix got one Hypolimnas, and the Mesia 

 the other, but the Sibia took the insect away from the latter bird . 

 I then put in four more non-warni ugly-coloured butterflies, all decapi- 

 tated. The Chloropsis soon had one. While one was still left, I saw 

 the Mesia peck the Euploea, but the bird was frightened off. I put 

 in another decapitated non-warningly-coloured specimen. 



I noticed a non-warningly-coloured specimen ( which I may have 

 overlooked before) in the food- vessel, which the Sibia soon seized. There 

 were plenty of maggots in the cage, as always lately. I saw the Mesia 

 eat part of a non-warningly-coloured specimen close by the Euploea. 



The birds were more eager for butterflies to-day. Nevertheless a 

 Liothrix which had attacked the last non-warningly-coloured specimen, 

 abandoned it, to be soon attacked and apparently eaten by the Sibia. 



Only the P. panope and Euploea were now remaining, and 1 put in 

 three females and one male of Elymnias undularis. But when I left the 

 birds none of these had been eaten, though a wing had been pulled off 

 from one female. One had got turned underside up before this. 



I put in a Nepheronia hippia with its wings closed. The Sibia took 

 and dropped it. I then took out the three female Elymnias. I saw the 

 Chloropsis at least once drop the head of a non-warningly-coloured 

 butterfly. 



May 1st. On looking early this morning I found that the Euploea 

 appeared to have been devoured with the exception of the thorax and 

 three wings, The other butterflies left overnight, the male Elymnias, 

 the Vapilio panope and N. hippia, were uneaten, though the head of the 

 latter was missing. I took out the P. panope. Early in the day I took 

 away nearly all the maggots, but there was other food in the cage when, 

 in the evening, I put in decapitated specimens of P. panope, Euploea, and 

 six non-warningly-coloured specimens, one of them a Catopsilia. Almost 



