EXPERIMENTS ON PALATABILITY 527 
February 2, 1908. Gave Maina A a dead Nissanga patnia which it 
appeared to eat. 
February 4, 1908. The Mainas had evidently been fed; there was 
food in their cages, which bird A had upset. 
Gave A an Ergolis sp., which it ate. 
Gave B a Nissanga patnia ; it ate it. 
Offered a living Hypolimnas bolina , first to one bird, then 
to the other; each pecked its wing, but no more. 
Bird A would not look at Girrhochroa cognata. 
I came to the conclusion that the birds were not hungry, 
and therefore the observations of little value. 
February 7, 1908. Offered to two young chickens first a Papilio 
aristolochiae and then a P. polytes , d. One of them looked at 
the first-named and then walked away; neither looked at the 
polytes. 
The same two butterflies were then offered to Maina A, 
which pecked at both several times, then wiped its beak and 
left them. 
This day’s experiments were considered unsatisfactory at 
the time; it was nearly 6.0 p.m., and perhaps the birds were 
sleepy. 
February 14, 1908. Gave bird A a Lampides sp.; it ate it and 
looked about for more. 
February 15, 1908. Gave bird A two Yphthima ceylonica and one 
Lampides sp.; it ate them all three. A Neptis varmona was 
then offered to the same bird, which gave it but one peck. The 
Neptis was then offered to bird B, which also gave it one peck. 
February 16, 1908. Gave to bird A three butterflies, Lampides sp., 
another Lycaenid (species not noted), and a Nissanga patnia : it 
ate them all up completely. Another specimen of the Nissanga 
was swallowed at the second attempt. An Ergolis sp. was also 
eaten and swallowed. I then offered the same bird a Papilio 
aristolochiae , this after a peck or two was left. The same 
specimen was then offered to bird B, which would not touch it. 
It was then handed back to bird A, which gave it another peck 
and again left it. 
So far as these experiments teach anything, it would appear that 
these Mainas would eat with relish Nissanga patnia , Yphthima 
ceylonica , Atella phalantha , Ergolis sp., and Lampides sp. 
On the other hand, Papilio aristolochiae and Crastia asela were 
distinctly distasteful. 
