878 JOURNAL, BOMBAY NATURAL HIST. SOCIETY, V0I. XXVI 



segment and tapering very slightly apically. Black annules at the junctions 

 of each segment, connected with the dorsal black markings. Usually pale 

 blue annules at the proximal borders of segments 1 and 2. 



Anal appendages nearly as long as the 10th segment, concave internally, 

 bifid at the end very much as in P. decorum. The inferior small and 

 whitish. 



Female somewhat similar to the male but paler in colour. The black 

 markings slightly more extensive and involving the dorsal surfaces of 

 segments 8 and 9 also, 10th segment pale blue instead of black as in the 

 male. Ground colour more green than blue and the sides of thorax not 

 pruinose. The black on the upper surface of the eyes is sharply limited 

 and the sides and under surface are a paler green. There is also a pale 

 brown, equatorial line running through the pale area. 



The legs yellowish at their bases. 



Wings : stigma dark brown, unicolourous ; ab commences at the level 

 of ac as in true Pseudagrion and the female has a ventral spine on the 8th 

 segment. 



F. C. FRASER, Major, i.m.s. 



Bombay. 



No. XLI.— ANTS ATTACKING BEES. 



I am not a member of your Society ; though I have often thought I 

 should like to be, but venture to write and inquire as to whether an attack by 

 red ants (Burmese Kagyin, I don't know their scientific name) on bees has 

 ever been recorded ? There are numerous colonies of these red ants round our 

 house here. They have their nests in almost every tree. Yesterday, on 

 my return from office, my wife mentioned that a column of red ants had 

 come into the house and was disappearing through the bed room window 

 in the direction of a bee hive, which has recently been established under 

 the eaves, and wo wondered seriously as to whether the ants were after 

 honey. At night when we went to bed we heard an excited buzzing from 

 the hive which astonished us, at such a time of night (10 p.m.). We inves- 

 tigated with electric torches and found a dense double column carrying 

 dead adult bees. When we woke in the morning the buzzing was still 

 going oil, but there was a small volume of it. On investigating again we 

 found the grewsome procession of corpses was still pouring down the 

 window still and out unto the wall outside, bees were buzzing about while 

 a number were hanging to the window curtains as if exhausted. These 

 were being hunted up by the ants and we noticed that whenever a bee 

 still ou the wing approached the marching column the ants did their best 

 to get hold of it while every now and then when a bee flew within reach it 

 was seized and appeared to be instantly killed. Eventually a servant 

 knocked down the hive and in a short while the remnant of the bees flew 

 away and are now clustered on a croton column in the garden. I believe if 

 the hive had not been knocked down every bee would have been killed. 

 What astonished us was that the bees appeared to be able to put up no 

 sort of fight. I noticed one or two dead ants being carried which looked 

 as if perhaps a bee sometimes was able to make use of its sting. The ants 

 are of the variety, about ^ " long, which cocks its *' tail " and makes war 

 ike demonstration when you put your fingnre near it. They are fond of 

 crowding into a garden gate awaiting nervous people about to open it. 



A. G. H. BREITHAUPT. 



Sandoway, Arakan Coast, 

 lUh March 1919. 



