24G 



HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



they are also sunk at the bottom into a deep and 

 puttied groove. I think that for the back and 

 front the most convenient size is a foot square, but 

 the sides are best not so broad. Of course, the 

 larger the case the better it will be, and its 

 dimensions must much depend on the amount of 

 space and materials at the owner's disposal. The 

 size I mention is that of my present case, and will 

 hold with comfort a very large nest indeed. This 

 time I had the trough made of zinc ; my objection 

 to which, taught by bitter experience, will be seen 

 further on. This formicary was all made by myself, 

 with the exception of the zinc trough; and the 

 whole apparatus cost me altogether three shillings. 

 In order to prevent any possible mistake, I sent a 

 specimen of the ant to Mr. Frederick Smith, of the 

 British Museum, to identify, who told me that it 

 was Myrmica ruginodis, of Nylander. He further 

 informed me that Linnaeus certainly included three 

 or four species under that name ; and that English 

 entomologists having failed to distinguish between 

 31. ruginodis, 31. scabrinodis, and 31. lavinodis, all 

 these were referred to 31. rubra, Linn. ; but that it 

 being impossible to determine what 31. rubra of 

 Linngeus was, all the three allied species being 

 found in Sweden, 31. rubra, as a specific name, can- 

 not be retained. Mr. Smith also kindly gave me 

 the following most valuable information, in which 

 he pointed out one or two specific differences by 

 which I might distinguish between these three 



Fig. 143. Antenna of Myrmica ruginodis. 



allied species of Myrmica. The female and worker 

 of 31. scabrinodis may be known by the fact that 

 the scape, or first joint of the antenna, is bent or 

 elbowed ; whereas, in my own species, 31. ruginodis, 

 the scape tapers to the base without an elbow 

 (fig. 143). The only difficulty to contend with is in 

 comparing 3f. Icevinodis with 31 ruginodis, because 

 the antenna; do not differ in form. The two pecu- 

 liar spines, however, on the metathorax (fig. 144), 



are somewhat shorter in 31. Icevinodis, and the 

 two nodes of the abdomen are also much smoother. 

 The males may be known as follows : — In M. 

 scabrinodis the scape of the antenna is very short, 

 in 31. ruginodis it is long, and in 31. Icevinodis it is 

 intermediate. Thus, with a little careful observa- 

 tion, one'may determine with certainty the precise 

 species. 



Fig. 144. Spines of Metathorax of Myrmica ruginodis. 



Icollected a very large number of 31. ruginodisvritk- 

 out much difficulty, and placed them in the formicary ; 

 and I also secured a considerable quantity of larvae, 

 which were in the form of small white and annu- 

 lated maggots. These ants even surpassed F. nigra 

 in the blind impetuosity with which they endea- 

 voured to make their escape, and they fell with 

 such rapidity, one after the other into the moat, 

 that for an hour or so I and one or two others were 

 fully employed in saving them from death by 

 drowning. After a time they settled down ; but it 

 was two or three days before they began any 

 extensive excavations. But when once they set to 

 work, their energy and zeal was astounding, and 

 they infinitely surpassed F. nigra in this particular. 

 When hi the height of their work the burrows 

 increased almost as if by magic. They were of very 

 considerable width, and the external openings were 

 unusually large. All the sides of the formicary were 

 pretty evenly burrowed, with the exception of one. 

 Why this portion should have been so much 

 neglected, I do not know; for, although not the 

 lightest, it was not by any means the darkest 

 side. 



The appetite of this species of ant is most 

 voracious, and they will devour food with astonish- 

 ing rapidity. I have given them as many as ten or 

 twelve large blue-bottle flies in one da y, all of which 

 disappeared down below soon after I had deposited 

 them in the formicary, with the addition of the 

 soaked lump sugar. This is what I chiefly fed 

 them upon. But 31. ruginodis is eminently a 

 carnivorous insect, and the sugar they only cared 

 for as a variety to their usual diet. They scarce 

 ever ate anything above ground which could by any 

 possibility be taken below ; and if I gave them a 

 fly, or any such-like insect, they would straightway 

 convey it down the nearest burrow. This operation 

 would often take the entire day, until they had 



