8o POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



ceases. During- the last twenty years I have frequently observed 

 this larva, and have endeavored to follow it in its metamorphoses. I 

 have succeeded only once, however, in carrying it through to its 

 imago or perfect form. It is not described in any of my lists, and 

 may be, therefore, a new species. There is another aphis-lion which 

 in very many respects closely resembles the one just described. It 

 is pictured by Professor Comstock, a modification of whose drawing- 

 is here produced. He writes of this creature as follows: 



'" When the aphis-lion is full grown, it rolls itself up into a tiny 

 ball and weaves around itself a glistening, white cocoon, which looks 

 like a seed pearl." (This can be seen in the sketch near the base of 

 the upper leaf.) " It may be supposed that while the aphis-lion is 

 secluded in this pearly cell it repents its greedy, murderous ways, and 

 changes in spirit; at least the body changes greatly, for, after a time, 

 a circular lid is made in the cocoon, and out of it there emerges a 

 beautiful, dainty creature, with delicate-veined, green wings, a pale- 

 green body, slender brown antennae, and a pair of large eyes that 

 shine like melted gold. It is sometimes called golden-eyes, and some- 

 times a laced-wing fly, from its appearance." 



This beautiful little insect evinces marvelous forethought in the 

 matter of perpetuating her kind. She knows that her young are pre- 

 daceous, devouring anything in the shape of an insect or an egg that 

 they can secure; she is aware of the fact that, if she were to deposit 

 her eggs, side by side, on a leaf, the first young aphis-lion hatched 

 out would devour all of the remaining eggs. In order to guard 

 against this, she spins a delicate but stiff stalk of hard silk, upon the 

 tip of which she deposits an egg. By the side of this stalk she rears 

 another, and another, and another, tipping each with an egg, until 

 finally, when she has finished ovipositing, there appears a miniature 

 grove of delicate silken stems, each one of which bears aloft on its 

 summit a round and shining egg. When the first-born of this brood 

 makes its appearance, it crawls down the stem to the surface of the 

 leaf, and goes in search of food, utterly unconscious of the rich and 

 toothsome feast just above its head on the tips of the other stalks! 



Lubbock concludes, from certain experiments, that the yellow 

 ant will not voluntarily drop from an elevation. Xow, observations 

 and experiments made by myself teach me that these ants (Lasius 

 flams) will drop from elevations when they wish to attain a certain 

 object. 



On one occasion one of the herds of aphides under observation 

 was discovered by a wandering black ant (Lasius niger), which 

 reported her discovery to her comrades. At once a marauding ex- 

 pedition was inaugurated by these cattle thieves, which fiercely 

 attacked the yellow guardianfe of the herd. The black rievers swarmed 



