BUTTERFLIES AS BIRD DIET 75 



to feed their young in our Museum grounds in 

 Calcutta — the Red-eared Bulbul {Otocompa emerid) 

 a fruit-eating tree-bird, and the Indian Dabchick 

 (Podicipes cafensis). The victims of the Bulbuls 

 were always, so far as I saw, the slender small 

 Agrionid types ; so were the Dabchicks' generally, 

 and it was amusing to see the little divers sneak 

 along with head lowered to the surface, and capture 

 the resting insect with a sudden spring. I once 

 saw a bright scarlet Libellulid offered to a young 

 Dabchick, and once saw a Brown Shrike capture 

 one of these red dragon-flies in repose. It is at 

 such times, I fancy, that these most active of 

 insects probably fall victims, and the same remark 

 would apply to flies. Quick as these are on the 

 wing, I have seen the heavy, awkward-looking 

 Muscovy Drake (Cairina tnoschata) waddle up and 

 pick them off leaves with ease and certainty. 



To birds which are specialized for catching 

 insects flying, such as Swifts, Swallows, etc., of 

 course no flying insects present any difficulty, but 

 it is significant that birds of this type, whose preying 

 habits are so well known and conspicuous, rarely 

 seem to attack butterflies. No bird is known as 

 the " butterfly-catcher " anywhere, though we have 

 " bee-eaters " and " fly-catchers," and though 

 moths are ravenously pursued, as one may see even 

 in London with the Sparrow. This is not to say 

 that birds never eat butterflies, but that these do 

 not form a common prey ; in India I certainly did 

 not see a bird attack or possess one oftener than 



