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THE AUSTRALIAN NATURALISY. 121 
The folowing are the results of my experiments. Two 
Indian shamas (Uzttocinela macrura) in succession tasted it, . 
but left it alone after one or two pecks. It was then taken by 
an Indian siba (Sibia capistrata), which quickly dropped it. 
A red-vented bulbul (Pycnonotus haemorrhous) then pounced 
upon it, with the same result. A ground thrush (Geocichla 
cyanonotus) tried it, but soon left it, A mynah (Gracula 
intermedia) took it, but quickly let it fall. Two South Afri- 
can bustards (Otis ludwigt) persevered for a long time, but 
finally rejected it., A kagu (2hinochaetus jubatus), a kind 
of rail or crane from New Caledonia, behaved in the same 
way, shaking his head after each peck. An Australian water- 
hen (Tribonyx ventralis) and a crow-shrike (Barita destruc- 
tor) pecked it only once, the latter vigorously shaking his 
head and wiping his beak after the taste. A Cuban mocking- 
bird (Mimus orpheus) and a Brazilian hangnest (Ostinops 
viridis) attempted it, but after a few pecks gave it up. 
Finally, the mangled remains were eaten with much hesita- 
tion by a rufous tinamou (?hynchotus rufescens), Whether 
the latter would have eaten it, if given the first refusal, it is, 
of course, impossible to say; but there is no doubt that the 
other birds found the butterfly highly distasteful. I was 
particularly impressed by its rejection by the two bustards, 
which on previous occasions lhave eaten some of the most un- 
palable of British insects (see Proc. Zool. Soc., 1911, pp. 
809-68). 
The birds used for these experiments belong to tropical 
American, Asiatic, Australian, and African species, and were 
purposely selected from a variety of families. Anosia plexip- 
pus has, I understand, comparatively recently invaded the 
Old World from the New; and the result of the above-recorded 
experiments suggests that no serious barrier to its dispersal 
will be offered by insectivorous birds» If it succeeds in widely 
distributing itself it may, as a useful model, bring about 
marked mimetic changes in the Lepidoptera of the districts 
in which it settles. 
The Zoological Society. Ree) OO Ge 
BIRD DAY. 
We strongly commend to cur readers the following ex- 
- tracts from “‘Bird-life Supplement’”’ issued by the enlight- 
ened policy of the Education Department with the ‘‘Public 
Instruction Gazette,’’ 30th September, 1911:— 
HOW TO STUDY THE BIRDS. - 
A. G. Hamilton. 
School bird study should begin with the birds of the 
playground, and gradually extend to wider fields. The 
