OF WASHINGTON. "499 



was removed, there tumbled and scrambled forth numbers of this ant 

 in utter consternation, which apparently had been hiding for some 

 unexplained reason, instead of climbing the tree in quest of the 

 abundant honey supply above. Some of these ants, in their head 

 long haste to escape imminent danger, were captured and placed in 

 a vial in the hope of breed 

 ing One or more of the flies, 

 though without success. 

 All others succeeded in hid 

 ing themselves under frag 

 ments of sticks and dry 

 leaves, which had accumu 

 lated around the base of 

 the tree. On removing this 

 accumulated waste gradu 

 ally, I found that the ants 

 had their formicary under 

 and between the larger roots 

 of the tree, and on being 

 again disturbed they scam 

 pered in evident alarm for 

 their underground passages. FIG. 20 Afocephaius fergandei. Adult greatly en- 

 While this was going on larged. 

 most of the exit holes had 



been closed with earth, preventing the stragglers from entering 

 their home in time. While watching the frantic efforts to con 

 ceal themselves, I observed minute objects flitting rapidly about 

 and hovering above and near the spot where the majority of the 

 ants had disappeared, alighting now and then in quest of some 

 particular object. The light in this particular locality is rather 

 dim and subdued, with a streak of sunlight here and there, which 

 renders it very difficult, especially at the surface of the ground, 

 to distinguish with any certainty the minute insects whirling 

 about near the entrance of the formicary. Being suspicious, 

 however, that some of those animated dots, darting back and forth, 

 might be the enemy of these ants, I managed to capture four of 

 them, and found on examination that they really belonged to the 

 species infesting the head of this ant, though all of them were 

 females. While thus engaged I observed one of the ants which 

 had secreted itself under one of the roots, make its appearance 

 for the obvious purpose of reaching the entrance to the nest, and 

 observed that no sooner had it made its appearance than one of 

 those winged atoms made a dart for it, which frightened the 

 poor creature to such a degree that it almost tumbled over itself 

 when it scrambled in great haste to hide itself. This observation 

 seems to indicate that the ants are in mortal'terror of their diminu 

 tive foe and deadly enemy. 



