WORKERS OF LA9IUS FLAVUS. 67 



compares again with that of P. wyrinna (fig. 12), but it has a row of 

 simple violet spots instead of large, ringed ocelli. As regards these 

 latter highly differentiated markings in P. myrinna and P. viriiiniensis, 

 their development has, perhaps, to a great extent, been induced by the 

 conditions of light to vvhich a species which flies among rich vegeta- 

 tion is subjected, though as the aberration of P. cardui resembling P. 

 terpdchore has shown, the influence of teinperature alone, or together 

 with physiological predisposition, can cause a row of eye-spots to break 

 ^^p and leave only two larger and better-marked ocelli on the wing. 

 It has probably been noted that the cardui-iovm. species are best 

 differentiated facially by the undersides of their hindwings ; it may 

 now be pointed out that, on the other hand, they all resemble each 

 other most in the underside facies of their forewings, and that an 

 atalanta-ioxvi). species, P. indica {callirrhoe, Mill.) has a very similar 

 underside facies. 



{To he concluded). 



Workers of Lasius flavus (? L. umbratus) among L. fuliginosus. 



By CECIL CRAWLEY, B.A., F.E.S. 



Some years ago I lived in a house where a large nest of Lasius 

 fuli>li)i()sn>i had been established, partly in the beams in the cellar, and 

 partly in an old stump in a hedge about 30 yards from the house. 

 This nest had been in existence, to my knowledge, for ten years, but 

 it was not until August, 1898, that I attempted to dig out the part of 

 the nest that was in the hedge, and place it under observation. I 

 succeeded in obtaining a large number of ants, pupae, and larvse, which 

 I settled in a " Lubbock formicarium," allowing the ants to roam over 

 two tables connected by a stick. The result of my excavations was to 

 drive the ants to settle entirely in the beams of the house, where they 

 were completely inaccessible. They travelled in search of aphides all 

 over the grounds, and had regular tracks all round the house and 

 garden. Their means of egress from the cellar was through three or 

 four small holes in the angle formed by the wall of the house and the 

 flagstones along the sides of the house. On several occasions in the 

 spring of 1898, I had noticed odd specimens of a yellow ant walking 

 about on the flagstones, and had supposed them to be L. r^arus, as the 

 lawn below abounded with nests of that ant, though it is rare that L. 

 fiavus ^ s leave their nests to go any distance. One peculiarity about 

 these ants was their large size and brilliant colour, which leads one 

 now to think that they were L. umbratus and not L. jlants. I had 

 established my artificial nest of L. fnliyinosus in a small room 

 detatched from the house, about six yards from the entrance to the 

 nest in the cellar. Previously to my digging up the nest in the hedge, 

 the ants used to skirt the outer wall of this room on their way between 

 the two nests. I took my nest on August 20th, and the next day 

 found that the ants had changed their pathway, and were now coming 

 through the inside of the room along the wall. 



On the night of August 25th I was watching the stream of ants 

 with a lantern, and saw one of the large L. uuibratus ^ s among the 

 L. fuliijinosus. I watched her salute two [.. fuliyinostis, who took 



