Vol. XX'iii] ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS. 243 



He found that the average height of the cones in the grass 

 on the prairies was about nine inches, those in an alfalfa field 

 in Ellis County being about four inches high. The size of the 

 clearings varies also. "The clearings surrounding the nests lo- 

 cated in the buffalo grass averaged nine feet ; those in the Rus- 

 sian thistles, eleven feet; those in an alfalfa field, thirteen to 

 fourteen feet." From these data it would seem that the extent 

 of the clearings was greatest where the material to be eradi- 

 cated could be handled with the greatest facility, and of smaller 

 diameter in those localities where the clearings could be ef- 

 fected with difficulty. 



The openings to the cones may be single, or rarely several. 

 Although Mr. Dean states: "There is no uniformity in regard 

 to the direction of the gates. However, the tendency seems to 

 be to the East, Southeast and South," we have found that in 

 the many nests examined, by far the larger per cent, have their 

 openings well down on the southeast side, or more toward the 

 east. It might, therefore, be possible that the ants are affected 

 here by some heliotropic influence, which would induce them 

 to construct the openings to their nests in a position where the 

 sunlight would fall. 



Several nuptial flights of Pogonomyrmex occidentalis were 

 observed in Wallace and Wichita Counties in August during 

 the afternoon when the warm damp weather brought them out 

 by the hundreds. It was very disagreeable to encounter a 

 swarm of these insects which alighted on us by the dozens and 

 crawled about our heads in the most aggravating manner. 

 The queens appeared to be in the minority and one was fre- 

 quently the center of a ball made up of frantic males, while 

 the workers ran about, tugging and biting in their excitement. 

 Several queens were observed each attempting to found a new 

 colony. Each excavated a hole and piled the soil some little 

 distance away from the burrow. 



A few nests of this species were treated with carbon bisul- 

 phide to the extent of from one to two and a half tablespoon- 

 fuls to each nest. The liquid was either poured down the 

 highest aperture, or the top of the hill was scooped off until a 



