474 Transactions. — Zoology. 



cids, Acarians, Thysanura, and Coleoptera occurring in their 

 nests. Mr. Maskell has described and figured''' Ripersia formi- 

 cicola, and made some suggestive remarks on this Coccid in 

 relation to ants. On this question he stated that " There 

 appears to be a general consensus of opinion that Aphides are 

 made use of by ants for their honey-dew, or, as frequently 

 stated, employed as ' milch-cows ' ; but this is the first in- 

 stance that I know of where ants and Coccids dwell together, 

 and the quantity of honey-dew secreted by the Bipersia cannot 

 be very great. ... It would be interesting to know 

 whether in other countries Coccids are found under similar 

 conditions, and, if so, how the ants and they mutually behave 

 to each other." These very suggestive remarks on the mutual 

 relations of ants and Coccids dwelling amicably together has 

 created a general interest among students of the Coccidce. 

 There has lately been an earnest and extensive search made 

 for Coccids in the nests of British and Continental ants, with 

 the result that another new species {Eipersia tomlini, New- 

 stead) was discovered by Miss Tomlin in an ant's nest in the 

 Island of Jersey. Other new species belonging to different 

 genera have also been discovered associating with ants in 

 England, and have lately been described by Mr. Newstead. 

 When the first specimens were sent to Mr. Maskell we had 

 not previously examined the ants' nests to ascertain the pos- 

 sible number of BipiersicB in each. Since reading Mr. Maskell's 

 paper, three years ago, we have made a minute and prolonged 

 search for Bipersice in the nests of all the known Monomoria. 

 On first turning over a stone covering a nest w'e have observed 

 from three to thirty-two Bipersice inhabiting the tracks and 

 courts. When air and light is admitted into the nest these 

 minute insects begin to move about, seeking concealment. 

 When they are not seized and carried away by the ants they 

 will occasionally walk unassisted into the galleries. They 

 are frequently found moving about on the under-surface of the 

 stone covering the nest. We have often raised the stone off 

 the nest and witnessed the ants along with the Coccids seize 

 the latter and carry them about for several minutes all over 

 its surface. We have laid the stone down and allowed the 

 ants to escape, when they generally went in a direct line for 

 the nest and carried the Coccids into the galleries. 



In a paper " On the Origin of Ants' Nests"! I have dis- 

 cussed the question of the presence of numerous Coccids 

 under stones as frequently forming the basis of ants' nests. 

 In referring to several points I wrote, " I have mentioned 

 the presence of Aphides and Coccids feeding on the roots 



* Trans. N.Z. Inst., vol. xxiv., p. 38. 



t Entomologists' Monthly Magazine, second series, vol. iii., p. 60. 



