Williams: Philippine Zoology. 331 



the army of little workers that must be respected, for they are of a 

 vindictive nature and lose no opportunity of using their sharp 

 mandibles. Phidologeton will occasionally invade houses here, and 

 once in a while some of the occupants are driven out of bed. There 

 is a record of a village in India having to shift because of these 

 troublesome ants ("Fauna, British India, Hymenoptera," II, p. 161, 

 1903; Bingham quotes Rothney). The genus belongs to the Indo- 

 Malayan region, and, like Sole?idpsis geminata, is largely granivor- 

 ous. It is to be noted, then, that meat eaters are not always the 

 fiercest. Pogonomyrmex, the aggressive and efficient stinger among 

 ants in some of the more arid portions of the United States, is also a 

 granivorous insect. 



While the ponerine ants are comparatively few and inconspicuous 

 in the United States, this primitive subfamily is very well repre- 

 sented here and contains some of the largest and commonest ants. 

 Notwithstanding their superior size, in many cases they cannot cope 

 against quite small, well-armed ants. This was noted in the genus 

 Diacamma, and upon an invasion by such small ants, the former 

 will grab bag and baggage, and, hurrying out of their nest, com- 

 monly situated in a tree trunk, await the departure of the marauders. 

 Besides, as is generally the case with the Ponerinse, their colonies 

 are small, and sting and jaws do not count for much against a 

 superior number of small ants, especially when many of the latter 

 discharge a very disconcerting fluid in their battles. 



The Dorylinse include the famous driver or legionary ants of the 

 American and African tropics, that in their foraging marches clear 

 the path of insects and other creatures. In the Philippines I have 

 observed no such formidable ants, and the only representatives of 

 this subfamily familiar to me are rather small, wiry black species 

 of the genus jEnictus, that travel in narrow columns. The workers, 

 although blind, march with order and great activity. They appear 

 to prey on other ants. 



While still on the subject of ants, it would be well to consider 

 briefly some habits of the rather large muscid flies, Bengalia sp. 

 These are somber-colored insects of alert habits that hang around 

 the passing columns of certain ants, very often those of Phidologe- 

 ton. It is quite usual to see one or more of these flies perched right 

 near the moving ants, and once in a while to approach a burdened 

 ant, seize and snatch away its load and to consume it at a safe dis- 

 tance. Bengalia, then, feeds upon the early stages of ants and 

 whatever palatable food the ants may carry. Thus, a Phidologeton 



