88 [iSeptcrubur. 



evidently a thorougli " Who'll tread on the tail of my coat " spirit. Presently, a 

 worker of P. hicolor took up the challenge, and trespassed on the sacred ring : down 

 came the wasp to the attack, and the ant, nothing loath, met her half way ; then 

 commenced a series of manceuvres on the part of the wasp to get her favourite hold, 

 dodging round and round the ant to get either above or behind, the ant trying to 

 frustate these attempts by turning also, and always presenting its strong mandibles 

 to its opponent ; the wasp, however, soon proved too quick, for, seizing the ant with 

 its jaws well round the waist, with a quick movement of the head, she jerked it a clear 

 foot off the tree ; another and another ant would be treated in the same way. Some- 

 times two ants together would apjjear in the " ring," and then the wasp would retreat, 

 or a single ant would take up a position for a time on the confines of the ring, 

 and protected by a little ledge of bark, and where the wasp would not venture to 

 attack, but the place of vantage was no sooner vacated, than, after the usual fighting 

 for the "hold," the ant was treated to the inevitable "back-fall." Diu'ing the time 

 I watched the tree, I saw at least twenty ants " thrown," but not one wasp " tackled." 

 What was most curious was the fact that all this appeared to go on without the least 

 ill-feeling between the contending parties, and a carcfid examination of the defeated 

 apts showed them to be none the worse for their falls. I watched several on their 

 reaching the ground, they seemed to be a little bewildered, but soon recovering 

 themselves, made for the tree again, two, in particular, in the most plucky manner, 

 went straight for the spot from which they had been hurled and tried another " bout " 

 with the old opponent. A sporting friend with me was immensely pleased with the 

 whole proceedings, which re-called visions of wrestling matches equally well con- 

 ducted at the Agricultural Hall, Islington ; and he was willing to back the " dark blues " 

 for any odds. I cannot in any way account for this great Wrestling Meeting, unless 

 I credit these two species with a true love of sport. The ants were not swarming, 

 there were not any larvs or pupse to be carried off, or nests to be plundered (as in 

 the case of Polistes JiehriBus and (EcopliyUa smaragdina, mentioned by the late Mr. 

 Home, in his Notes on Hymenoptera of the IV. W. Provinces). I have visited the tree 

 continually for the last three years, but have never seen anything of the kind going 

 on before. I have also been to the tree since the first of June, but though both 

 these species were there in great numbers, nothing unusual went on, the wasps leaving 

 the ants alone, and rice versa ; if any peculiarity in their behaviour could be noticed, 

 it was a steady and polite resolution to avoid one another. — Or. A. James Eothnet, 

 Barrackpore, Bengal : June 12th, 1876. 



Occurrence of Vespa crahro in the north. — In the course of a few days spent in 

 the West Highlands, I made no entomological observations worth noting, except that 

 on July 21st, I saw a fine large hornet, and I am under the impression that it was a 

 $ , near the head of Glen Coe, though I did not capture it. It sailed steadily within 

 a foot of me, and I saw it as clearly as if it were in a drawer, and the hornet is an 

 insect with which I am very familiar. On July 20th, I saw Erehia Cassiope plenti- 

 fully on Ben Nevis. Scopula alpinalis was abundant on many mountain slopes. — 

 T. A. Chapman, Hereford : July 29th, 1876. 



On preserving Dragon-Jlies. — I believe there is, at present, no generally known 

 method of satisfactorily preserving the colours of Dragon-flies ; in fact, Mr. 



