766 

 MISCELLANEOUS NOTES. 



No. I —NOTE ON DIACAMMA, A PONERINE GENUS OF ANTS, AND 

 OF THE FINDING OF A FEMALE OF D. VAGANS, SMITH. 



Of the hunting ants, Poneridcs, belonging to the genus Diacamma, Mayr, 

 I am personally acquainted with only two species in Burma, D. vagans, 

 Smith, and D. scalpratum, Smith. The former is smaller and less common 

 than the latter, and so far as my experience goes, has the entrance to its nest- 

 tunnels under a stone or fallen log, while the latter species makes its nests 

 boldly in the open, like many of the Camponotidce, It is curious to note 

 what a difference there is between the outside look of the entrance of a nest 

 of D. scalpratum, and of that of some species of Camponoius. C. rufoglaucus, for 

 instance, carries out the earth-debris of its nest and piles it so close to the 

 entrance that half its time is taken up in clearing out stuff that has tumbled 

 back into the nest. Not so with D, scalpratum, a self-possessed and very 

 clever ant, whose nests can be distinguished at a glance. The grains of earth 

 dug out and carried to the surface are always thrown well away from the 

 entrance to the nest. There is one curious point of resemblance, however, 

 between the nests of Camponotus and the nests of Diacamma. The earth- 

 debris when carried out is always piled to cne side of the nest, never round 

 it, as in the nests of some of the Pheidole. 



If you push a twig into the entrance to the nest of D. scalpratum, a com- 

 motion ensues, the workers swarm out in numbers, jaws open, and stings ready, 

 but there is no haste and no rushing about in a vulgar flurry as is seen when a 

 nest of Camponotus is disturbed. Leave the twig in and the nearest D. scal- 

 pratum will seize it in her jaws, and after trying to sting it, will tug and tug till 

 she either drags or carries it out, when it is taken to the rubbish heap and 

 chucked down with every look of disgust and scorn. I once weighed a $ of 

 D. scalpratum and the little piece of stick it had carried out of its nest and 

 calculated that, had I proportionate strength and dexterity, I ought to be 

 able to walk off with a three-ton teak log. \Yhat a very useful Forest 

 officer I would be under such circumstances. Diacamma $ has been for 

 years a desideratum to Myrmecologists. It makes me sad to think of the 

 many nests I have ruined, the hours of hard labour I have spent, and the 

 language that I have used in the futile search for 9 Diacamma. I had 

 given up all hope of finding her when I chanced on two taking a walk. It 

 happened in this wise. On the 19th June, 1898, I was inspecting the 

 boundaries of a Forest reserve in the Taungoo district. I was passing over a 

 cleared fire trace when my attention was attracted by a number of 

 D. vagans, which were quartering the ground in a rather more hurried and 

 aimless way than is usual with that very self-possessed species. The nest 

 seemed to be under one end of a felled tree which had evidently been cut 

 down in clearing the fire-trace. Imagine my delight when, as I stood 



