260 The Scottish Naturalist. 



short spines directed towards the anal extremity. The first of 

 these rows (on each segment) is the largest, and is situated near 

 the front margin of the segment j the second row has spines of 

 about half the size of those composing the first row, and is situ- 

 ated about the centre of the segment. On the three penulti- 

 mate segments there is no centre row of spines. The last 

 segment is obtuse, and furnished with a somewhat irregular 

 circlet of short broad triangular spines. The use of the spines 

 is of course, I imagine, to enable the pupa to travel through 

 the galleries. 



Some nests quite swarm with the larvae of this moth, while others 

 are entirely free from them. One nest had rather a peculiar 

 appearance from the number of galleries protruding from it. 



In Britain M. ochraceella has only been found in Scotland ; on 

 the Continent it occurs in Finland and Switzerland. There is 

 another species of the same genus (and, I suppose, with the 

 same habits) in south-eastern Europe. 



Though several species of Hemiptera are supposed to be as- 

 sociated with ants, yet none have been hitherto recorded as 

 having been found in the nests of the hill-ant in Britain. In 

 northern Europe one of the Afithocoridce, Piezoctethus for?nicttc- 

 rum Boh. occurs in the ant-hills, and to that species I, with 

 some doubt, refer a bug that I found commonly in Braemar. 

 The first specimen that I saw was a pupa found in a nest in 

 Glen Lui, by my friend Mr. Hislop. Subsequently Dr. Sharp 

 and I found the perfect insect not uncommonly in many ant- 

 hills. It is a very small creature and seems to live deep down 

 in the nests. The pupae were seen in May and June, and the 

 perfect insects in June and July. What its food is I cannot 

 say, but judging from the tastes of allied species, the Pitzostethus 

 (if such it be) is carnivorous, and preys upon smaller or weaker 

 insects. It runs with great activity, but though furnished with 

 wings, I never saw one flying. 



Of all the orders of insects, the Coleoptera or beetles have 

 most representatives in the ant hill. Some of these are carni- 

 vorous species, others find a means of subsistence in the dead 

 vegetable matter composing the nest. We will briefly notice 

 the species that have been found in Scotland.* 



* I have to thank my friends Mr Hislop and Dr Sharp, for supplementing my 

 information on this subject. 



