RELATIONS OF ANTS TO OTHER INSECTS. 349 



invniic.r gccppcrti mingled with aphids, show that these ancient Dolicho- 

 derines must have had- essentially the same habits as their modern 

 cousins. 



One of the earliest accounts of the relations of ants to coccids 

 is that of Forel (1875) wno found Brachymyrmcx Iiccri, that had been 

 imported from tropical America into the hot-houses of Europe, attend- 

 ing Lccaninin hemisph&ricum and Dactylopius adoniduin. Our North 

 American B. Iiccri subsp. dcpilis attends root coccids and aphids like 

 the species of Lasins. From the nests of our ants of this genus, Cock- 

 erell (1891, 1903, 1905) and King (18970, i898-'99, igo2b) have de- 

 scribed a number of species of Rifcrsia, Ddctylopius, Lecanopsis, 

 Phcnacoccns and Orthezia, and whoever, early in the spring, examines 

 the formicaries of our yellow species of Lasins in the open woods of 

 the Eastern States will be sure to find their galleries white with these 

 small, elliptical, snow-white insects. Many of our other ants also 

 exhibit a great fondness for coccids of the above mentioned and other 

 genera. In Texas I frequently found Cremastogaster punctulata at- 

 tending dense herds of Eriococcns tc.ranits on roots, and even so large 

 an ant as Cainponotits sansabcaints nearly always keeps a number of 

 individuals of Dactylopius wheclcri in its nests. On the exposed twigs 

 of oaks the curious pea-like coccids of the genus Kermes, which often 

 drip with honey-dew, are great favorites with our species of Cremasto- 

 gaster, Prcnolepis, Lasins and Dolichoderus, and in Arizona the honey 

 ant, Myrmecocystus tcstacciis, exhibits a similar fondness for the sin- 

 gular, wax-covered species of Orthczia on the dry shrubs of the desert. 

 Guilding (1829-33) and Trimen (1886) have found ants associated 

 with the curious subterranean coccids known as "earth pearls" (l\Iar- 

 c/arodcs) in St. Vincent and South Africa, and the association of the 

 arboreal ants of the genus Asteca with various coccids (Palceococcns 

 rosff. Coccus iianns, Akcnnes colinuc, Pscndococcns cuatalcnsis and 

 Lachnodiclla cccropicc ) in Trinidad, Mexico, Nicauragua and Brazil, 

 has been mentioned by Fritz Miiller (i88o-'8i), Emery, Cockerell 

 (1903) and von Ihering (1907). Even in remote New Zealand, ac- 

 cording to W. W. Smith (18920, 1892/5), Ripcrsia and other coccids 

 abound in the nests of the species of Monomorium and Huberia so 

 characteristic of that region. 



The Psyllidse, or jumping plant-lice, appear to be related to the 

 aphids, but void solid excrement in addition to the liquid honey-dew. 

 The latter is very abundant, however, and in some of the numerous 

 Australian species hardens to form scales of manna, or " sugar-lerp." 

 These scales are so abundant that they are collected and eaten by the 

 aborigines and the children of the white settlers. According to Frog- 



