280 ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS. [June, 'l6 



very common weed of waste places, and was so well concealed with 

 particles of straw brought there by the ants that only very close ob- 

 servation revealed its location. There must have been several thou- 

 sand in the nest, as they covered the ground everywhere. The writer's 

 attention was attracted to this nest by the trail of the ants leading 

 across the path. A large number were observed crawling up pine trees. 

 This genus is recorded in Wheeler's "Ants" as an aboreal type. The 

 identifications of the ants in most cases were made by Dr. Wheeler to 

 whom the writer is indebted, while the Aphids were identified by Pro- 

 fessor Thomas of this Division. The following species of ants were 

 collected and added to the South Carolina list (see antca, page no) : 

 Crematogaster victima subsp. missouriensis, Crcmatogaster lincolata 

 var. lutea, Prenolepis (Nylanderia) parvula. M. R. SMITH, Entomo- 

 logical laboratories, Clemson Agricultural College, Clemson College, 

 South Carolina. 



Feeding Habits of Sinea diadema Fabr. (Het.). 



The nymph of this Reduviid when its attention is attracted by a 

 moving object assumes an attitude of alert waiting. If the prey then 

 becomes still, having the appearance of being dead, the Heteropteron 

 will not molest it but will turn and walk away unconcernedly. If, 

 however, the prey continues to manifest signs of life and starts to 

 walk away, the Sinca will boldly stalk it, capturing it eventually. If 

 the larva, perchance, starts toward the young Sinea, it does so only to 

 meet death sooner in strong spiny arms. 



On preparing to attack, the Sinca rears back until the body is almost 

 vertical, the antennae point backward, the front femora point back, and 

 obliquely down away from the body; the tibiae extend upward and 

 away from the body, forming a very obtuse angle with the femur. 

 Sometimes the position is not so pronounced. The insect only rears 

 slightly on its hind legs, allowing the front femora to point away from 

 the body in a position ranging from obliquely upward to obliquely 

 downward. The tibiae in cases like this extend outward and upward, 

 still forming the very obtuse angle with the femora. The beak all the 

 while remains in its normal position under the abdomen. The proper 

 moment having arrived, the insect with a quick rush closes on its prey, 

 simultaneously bringing the front legs down and fixing the larva 

 firmly in the angle formed by the union of the femora and tibiae, 

 where it is firmly held by the strong spines which are fixed to both 

 these joints. At the same moment that this rushing attack is made, the 

 comparatively long sharp beak of the young Reduviid is brought for- 

 ward and plunged with a single quick stroke into the body of the prey. 

 In a majority of cases the beak is found to be inserted into or near the 

 thoracic region of the larva, and in one instance it was inserted almost 

 into the base of the head capsule of a newly-hatched Prastcria erech- 

 tea larva. 



