478 Transactiona. — Zoology. 



anrl went towards the wire fence, which was also covered with 

 milhons of ants from the swarm. Many had cast their wings, 

 while others again took flight and mingled with the dense 

 swarm. The densest part of the swarm appeared to be about 

 6ft. to 10ft. from the ground, and flew at the rate of perhaps a 

 mile an hour. As they proceeded numbers kept dropping out 

 of the Hight, and alighted on the tussocks, shook off their 

 wings, and disappeared in the grass. As a natural means of 

 distribution, the dispersion of immense swarms like the one 

 under notice would thickly people with ants the line of 

 country it passed over. An immense swarm of this nature 

 could only be formed by the union of numerous nests which 

 would be advantageous to the species. After the flight the 

 queens meet and associate with males from other nests, and 

 establish new colonies. 



When referring in my former paper''' to the general 

 economy of the Tetramoria I stated that, " In order to ascer- 

 tain if the Tetramoria form granaries or otherwise store food 

 in summer and autunni for winter use, w^e have carefully 

 examined many old nests in the months of April and May, 

 but in no instance did we discover any food stored ; we, how^- 

 ever, have noticed a greater number of Aphides and Coccids in 

 their nests during winter than in summer or autumn, and I 

 think it probable that they are brought into the nests by 

 the ants before the winter from beneath the adjacent stones." 

 I have often observed ants with Coccids, excepting Paper- 

 sice, under stones apart from their nests. Owing to the pre- 

 sence of numerous rhizophagous Coccids — and in some cases 

 Aphides — I am inclined to believe tliat these minute ants 

 never possessed the instinct or knowledge of storing food. 

 The milder climate and shorter winters at the Antipodes 

 favour the ants in procuring food. When the relations of ants 

 aiid Coccids are perfectly known, it will be found, I believe, 

 that their mutual dependence will be, in many instances, more 

 general, especially in temperate climates. The following case, 

 from the report of the Inspector of the Cape (South African) 

 vineyards for 1886, is of interest: "I have met with," the 

 Inspector wrote, " a very singular subterranean Coccid, both 

 at Moddergat and at the Praal, attended upon in one case by a 

 small ant, Acantholopis capensis." The mutual relations of 

 ants and Coccids, of ants and Aphides and the larvae of 

 several species of butterflies and other insects, require further 

 investigation. In the case of some subterranean Coccids, 

 they must belong to very ancient forms, especially so as spe- 

 cies of the same genus are found in ants' nests in both hemi- 

 spheres. 



* Loc. cit., p. 64. 



