256 W. M. WHEELER. 



foundations of my house, at Goa. From the nest there is a well 

 marked " road," crossing a broad gravel path, and then ramifying 

 all over the tennis ground. They issue after sunset, and march 

 along one of the main branches, or break up into parties and 

 take different routes. When they come to a place where the 

 termites have thrown up new earthworks, and are busy eating the 

 dead grass underneath, they collect in dense masses, waiting for 

 an opportunity of breaking in, which they very likely find when 

 the termites attempt to extend their works on any side. Then 

 the slaughter begins. Sometimes the poor termites are killed 

 far faster than they can be carried off; and on one occasion, as 

 late as 7 a. m., I saw the ground still heaped with slain, and an 

 unbroken stream of ants, fifty-six yards long, carrying them away. 

 Each ant had two or three in her jaws. If these ants cross the 

 grounds of a community of ' harvesters ' (? Holcomyrmex) after 

 the latter are up in the morning, they have to flee in their turn. 

 A Lobopclta, when once a worker major has laid hold of her by 

 the leg, appears to be perfectly helpless, she can neither kill her 

 enemy nor shake her off. Sometimes another Lobopclta will 

 come to her assistance, and, after vainly trying to tear off the 

 aggressor, will pick up her comrade and carry her and her enemy 

 off together.' 



Apparently some of the American species of Leptogenys also 

 prey on termites: The nest of a single colony of L. Wheel cri 

 Forel which I observed at Cuernavaca, Mexico, was almost 

 embedded in a Eutenncs nest, and I have no doubt that the 

 ants were in the habit of using their neighbors as a convenient 

 larder. 



The only other Leptogenys of which I find the habits recorded 

 is Lobopclta diuiinnta Smith var. bismarckensis Forel from the 

 Bismarck Archipelago. Dahl 1 compares this species with the 

 amazon ant (Polyergns ritfcsccns of Europe and North America), 

 on account of the sickle-shaped, toothless mandibles. He says : 

 " Although I have drawn a comparison between Leptogenys. 

 bismarckensis, and Polyergns rufcscens, I must clearly emphasize 

 the fact that I never found the nest of the former species and 



1 " Das Leben der Ameisen im Bismarck- Archipel, nach eigenen Beobachtungen 

 vergleichend dargestellt," Berlin, R. Friedlander und Sohn, 1901, p. 52. 



