470 Transactions. — Zoology. 



nests for the purpose of collecting all insects, Sec, we could 

 find associating with the ants. In both nests we found 

 none. Both were large communities, each numbering about 

 eight hundred individuals. We found vast numbers of eggs 

 and larvte in the interstices of the stones at a depth of 15in. 

 and 16in. from the surface. In one we obtained ten queens 

 secreted in different parts of the nest, some in cool, moist 

 chambers 17in. down in the shingle. Excepting some frag- 

 ments of the elytra of minute beetles and wings of flies, we 

 could not detect any other remnants of their food. We, how- 

 ever, have found large and small colonies situated among 

 stunted vegetation containing considerable numbers of Coc- 

 cids, some minute parasitic beetles {Diarthroccra fonnicvpliila, 

 Broun), and an Acarian {Leiosoma longipilis, Moniez). Not- 

 withstanding the closest search in the nests of all the Mono- 

 moria, we have observed the beetles present only in the 

 colonies of 31. nitidum and M. snteri. M. nitidum is the most 

 active native ant, and vigorously assails all intruders near 

 its nest. 



Huheria striata, Smith, is the largest endemic ant. Al- 

 though it exists in fair-sized colonies on the old river-beds on 

 the Plains, the largest are met with in limestone districts, 

 or in warm rocky valleys near the main range. At Albury 

 immense colonies exist beneath detached pieces of limestone 

 lying among the tussock at the base of the whole length of 

 the sloping bed of debris beneath the great rocks. Owing 

 to the vast numbers of ants in the nests it was frequently 

 difficult to examine their structure or collect the economic or 

 other insects found associating with them. In many of the 

 nests I found considerable numbers of the pretty little shell 

 Laoma haasti, Hutton, lying in the courts and tracks of the 

 ants. Some were bleached, and all were empty; but whether 

 they had crept into the nests or been carried there by the 

 ants I am unable to say. The mollusc is extremely common 

 among the broken rocks, and I am inclined to believe that 

 they were carried into the nests by the ants for food. I rarely 

 found them under stones where there were no ants, and these 

 were generally alive. One important fact which serves to ' 

 illustrate the effect of situation on the economy of ants is 

 that we never observed Coccids in their nests in the neighbour- 

 hood of the rocks. The latter is covered in parts with low 

 vegetation, and generally teems with insect -life, especially 

 beetles, whose elytra we found in quantities in the ants' nests. 

 At Ashburton and on many parts of the Plains this fine ant 

 exists in smaller colonies, and is almost invariably found 

 associating with a large yellow subterranean Coccid {Dacty- 

 lojjms arcccB, Maskell). The latter is a root-feeder, and occurs 

 plentifully on the roots of Pimelea, Carmichcelia, Discaria, 



