ANTS. 



ant were fascinated with her pet and could not feed and fondle it 

 enough. This performance is, in fact, so frequently repeated that I 

 could nearly al\va\> observe it whenever I uncovered the nest. I have 

 rarely witnessed a more comical sight than the behavior of these 

 slender, black ants while they are holding the chunky, little red urchins 

 in their paw> and pouring liquid into them as if they were so many 

 casks. Comical, too, is the behavior of the beetle while it is waiting 

 to be noticed, with its head and fore legs elevated. At such times is 

 assumes a ridiculous, cocky air. Often, instead of receiving the caress 

 and food which it is expecting, it is inadvertently knocked over onto 

 its flat back by some scurrying ant intent on more important business. 

 Then the beetle lies for a few moments with sprawling legs, but soon 

 succeeds in righting itself and either scampers away or at once strikes 

 its favorite attitude again. It seems to be greatly aided in the right- 

 ing movements by the peculiar position of its tarsi, which are strongly 



flexed backward on the tibiae, so that when 

 it is lying on its back, the claws are brought 

 into the most advantageous position for 

 taking hold of the floor of the nest. Like 

 the European ferrugineus, H . brunneipennis 

 also feeds on solid substances. It eagerly 

 seeks out any dead or wounded ants on the 

 refuse heap of the nest, and may be seen 

 gnawing at their joints or mouth-parts or 

 eating its way into the soft parts of the 

 gaster, after having made a large hole in the 

 chitinous integument. It will also spend 

 hours gnawing away with its sharp little 

 mandibles at the bodies of caterpillars and 

 other insects that have been partially eaten 

 by the ants. Occasionally the body of a single small caterpillar or 

 dead ant will be covered with the beetles, all busily feeding. At such 

 times the ants often come up, tear them away and feed them with 

 regurgitated food. The beetles straighten up and patiently submit to 

 the fondling, licking and feeding, but as soon as the ants move away, 

 return to their ghoulish repast. 



The singular genus Crema$tocheilus (Fig. 230), which comprises 

 more than twenty species, seems to be peculiar to North America. All 

 of the species have very hard bodies and many of them are furnished 

 with tufts of golden trichomes at the anterior and posterior corners of 

 the thorax. The very peculiar mentum is cup-shaped and fits closely 

 over the small mouth parts. A few of the species are deep red, but 



FIG. 230. 



lllS CllStllllCtC. 



Cremastochei- 



(Original.) 



