riARDWICKE'S SClENCE-GOSSir. 



109 



Fig. 71. Supposed Parasite of Elm, x j.o. 



also showu, X IGO. The upper part of the figure 

 gives the connection with the cephalic se;;ment. 

 Eig. 69 represents one of the two (pygidia ?) x 160. 

 The surface next the eye (ventral) is in focus the 

 indistinct hexagonal areolation belonging to the 

 dorsal side of the organ. The minute dots repre- 

 sented give the object a delicate beauty of aspect, 

 very difficult to reproduce in a drawing. 



Fig. 70 gives a representation of two of the feet, 

 (1) in which the unci are well developed, and the 

 pulvilli comparatively small, belonging to the first 

 pair of legs ; (2) which shows the pulvilli much 

 more conspicuously, the unci being very small, 

 appertaining to the third pair. The feet are drawn 

 to the same scale as fig. 69. Fig. 71 shows the entire 

 insect x 40 diameters, mounted in balsam. It is 

 hoped that the description and drawings may lead 

 to the identification of this possible stranger. 



Cjiakles E. Burton. 



INDIAN ANT JOTTINGS. 

 By Chaules Hokne, late B.C.S., &c. 



WHEN I was young I read in Proverbs vi. 6, 

 " Go to the ant, thou sluggard ; consider her 

 ways, and be wise, which having no guide, overseer, 

 or ruler, provideth her meat in the summer, and 

 gathereth her food in the harvest." 

 Hence I inferred that all ants were thus provi- 



dent, not being then aware that many species ap- 

 pear to remain all the winter in a dormant state of 

 hybernation ; nor hnd 1 until very lately heard of 

 any grain-storing European ant. At a late meeting 

 of the Entomological Society of London, a com- 

 munication was read from a gentleman at Nismes, 

 South France, recording the habit of some ants in 

 storing grain, seeds, &c., near that place. To prove 

 it, he had scattered some hempseed near, and they 

 had been carried into the nest, and shortly after- 

 wards he discovered their husks outside. I think he 

 added that in some cases, before storing, the germs 

 had been bitten out, which would argue great fore- 

 sight on the part of these intelligent little creatures ; 

 but be this as it may, the fact of storing was fully 

 proved. 



At our last meeting there was a further note 

 from the same gentleman from Capri, still farther 

 south, where he had observed similar habits in 

 ants. 



But my notes carry me to the far East, where I 

 often watched this most interesting class of insects, 

 and briefly recorded my observations, unfortu- 

 nately cut short by illness, and the necessity of 

 return to Europe, which must be my apology for 

 their want of completeness. 



But before transcribing, I would remind my 

 general reader that all ants may be seen carrying 

 oif food to their nests for present consumption, and 

 that this food consists of a great variety of sub- 



