Abstract
IN the autumn of 1941 I happened to be preparing some bird-skins at Beni Suef, Middle Egypt, when a casual observation led to what has proved a somewhat fruitful and little-explored line of inquiry. A palm dove (Streptopelia senegalensis) and a pied kingfisher (Ceryle rudis) had been skinned and the carcases thrown aside. Hornets were very plentiful in the garden where I was working and soon collected on the meat; but they were seen to concentrate their visits on one carcase, leaving the other almost neglected. Closer inspection showed that it was the dove that was receiving their attentions:with the kingfisher they would have little to do.
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COTT, H. The Edibility of Birds. Nature 156, 736–737 (1945). https://doi.org/10.1038/156736a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/156736a0
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