666 F. Finn — Experiments with various Birds. [No. 4, 



them. This avoidance was much more marked when the birds were at 

 liberty, though even so a few of the objectionable butterflies were eaten. 



Deltas eucharis and Papilio aristolochise 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 (Liothrix luteus), Mesia (Mesia argentauris), 

 Bhimraj (Dissemurus paradiseus), King-crow (Dicrurus ater), Starling 

 {Siurnus menzbieri) and Shama ( Kittacincla rnacrura) was similar, in that 

 all of these birds objected to the Danainee, Delias eucharis* and Papilio 

 aristolochise, (especially, as a rule, to the last) in comparison with other 

 butterflies, or absolutely. 



T never saw the Chloropsis (Ghloropsis aurifrons or rnalabarica) or 

 the Sibia (Malacias capistrata) eat any "nauseous" butterfly, except 

 that in the case of the former, one Euploea body and a few bits of wing 

 were eaten. 



The latter bird refused with apparent dislike the male of Elymnias 

 undularis, which should be palateable, and was as a matter of fact 

 usually liked by the birds to which I offered it. Another mimetic 

 species, Papilio polites, was not very generally popular with birds, but 

 much preferred to its model, P. aristolochise. 



The Hornbill refused Danainse and Papilio aristolochise absolutely, 

 but ate the only Delias eucharis given. 



In several cases I saw the birds apparently deceived by mimicking 

 butterflies. The Common Babbler was deceived by Nepheronia hippia 

 and Liothrix by Hypolimnas misippus. The latter bird saw through the 

 disguise of the mimetic Papilio polites, which, however, was sufficient 

 to deceive the Bhimraj and King- crow. 



I doubt if any bird was impressed by the mimetic appearance of 

 the female Elymnias undularis. But this is not a first-rate imitation, 

 and a mimic is put to a very severe test when offered to a bird in a 

 cage or aviary. 



Young hand-reared birds, like the Shama and Bhimraj, had no in- 

 stinctive knowledge of the " nauseous" forms, and ate them quite readily 

 at first, but soon gained experience. Birds caught when old, when 

 watched from the first, like the Sibia, first Mesia and Starling, appeared 

 to know and avoid unpalateable species. The latter bird's action in 

 greedily devouring the first whole Papilio aristolochise given, and then 

 avoiding this species, seems to show it did not know this insect, and 

 had no general prejudice against Warning Colours. 



So far the results of these experiments on the whole bear out the 



* The first Mesia had not this species offered to it, but those subsequently kept 

 had, and evidently disliked it. 



