AMERICAN HYMENOPTERA. 2S7 



our mountain mound-buiklcrs feed during winter, and if so, what arc 

 the sources of their food supply. 



Beetles.— The possibility that the beetles, certain species of which 

 are well known to frequent the uests of ants, might be in some way 

 concerned in this interesting (|uery, did not escape my attention. But 

 I was never so fortunate as to take any beetles in the hills either during 

 the summer or fall visit. This was doubtless chiefly owing to my ignor- 

 ance at that time of the size and appearance of the insects, and the 

 best mode of capturing them. I hope at another visit to remedy this 

 deficiency Dr. Horn informs me that the Spring is the best season 

 to search for these domesticated beetles. Among the ants collected iu 

 midwinter by 3Ir. Kay, and sent to me as specimens, I found one beetle. 

 It is a small insect, about one-tenth of an inch in length, of a dark 

 claret-brown color, quite closely resembling in this respect the ants 

 among whom it dwells. It is determined by Dr. Horn as Tmrsiphonis 

 coshttis l^econte, and belongs to the Clavigerida;. The di.^covery of 

 this beetle in midwinter, together with the fact that the beetles are 

 found in abundance with the ants in early spring, show these insects 

 to be closely connected with the winter life of the ants, if not with 

 their winter food supply. 



. Dr. John L. Leconte, so widely distinguished for his thorough know- 

 ledge of the Coleoptera, has shown me the following species colleetetl 

 by himself from ants' nests. Two of these, taken from formicaries of 

 our Allegheney mountain mound-builders, I have been permitted to 

 figure. They are drawn in order simply to give a general idea of their 

 appearance, and not for systematic description. The most interesting 

 of these is perhaps Fig. 10, 1, Afemeles cava, Leconte, which, like 

 the Clavigeridae, is furnished with tufts of hollow, hair-like tubes, on 



the sides of the abdomen. Fr<)m these 

 tufts a sweet secretion exudes, upon which 

 the ants feed, as upon the honey-dew of 

 the aphides. A. cava is a brown-colored 

 insect, about one-fifth of an inch in length. 

 \ /* 7 \ Specimens were found with fallow ants in 



„ ,„ T> .1 r A i^ Columbia Co., Pa. ; in Michiuau, Mary- 

 Fic. 10. — Beetles found in ' ' !^ > j 



neits of F. rufa. i^o.l, Aieme- l:>nd and Illinois. Those from 111. were 



les cava, Leoonte. No. 2, Cedius found in nests of F. rufa (?) iu large num- 



Ziegleri, Leconte. ]^^.j.g q^^^ ^f ^j^^ ^^^^ ^..^j.^^ ^ij,j t,,^. 



beetles, still holds in its mandibles, firmly clasped even in death, one 

 of these household treasures. The other specimens figured are desti- 



