8 [Jauuary, 



over, and found them tenanted underneath by some remarkably large 

 colonies of Huheria striata, Sm., and Monomorium nitidum, Sm. 

 Although several of the colonies had swarmed, others were crowded 

 with thousands of winged forms ready to migrate and colonize new 

 sites. There are few scenes among social insects more enchanting 

 than the interior of a large colony of ants a few hours before winging 

 their flight to other regions. 



The altitude of the slope where we discovered these large colonies 

 is about 2400 feet. As the day promised to be fine, we left them, and 

 continued our ascent of an additional 1500 feet, hoping to find them 

 more active during the warmer afternoon, and to examine the colonies 

 perfectly. We returned to them at 2 p.m., and spent two and a half 

 hours examining the galleries, with a view to observing the habits of 

 already known parasites and economic forms, or discovering new 

 forms associating with them. We found the identical species of 

 Coccids attached to the roots of Pimelius and Carmichaelius extending, 

 in many directions, through the ramifying galleries which we found a 

 year ago in nests of these species of ants on the Gawlor Downs, 

 1000 feet lower, and situated twenty-five miles to the north. In 

 excavating their galleries, the ants clear away the soil from around 

 the thicker parts of the roots, and form courts to enable the Coccids 

 to move freely along the roots, and also to enable the worker ants 

 to draw supplies of honeydew or nectar with more freedom to feed 

 their larvae. 



In one large colony we observed fully a hundred individuals of 

 the star-like and delicate cottony-covered Bipersia fonnicicoJa, Mask., 

 moving freely about the courts, and among the damp roots growing 

 through the site of the nest. There were also numerous clusters of 

 Dactylopius pocB, Mask., attached to the thicker roots, but they were 

 of a slaty hue, and slightly larger than the typical reddish-white 

 cottony forms occurring on the plains. B.formicicola in the perfect 

 stage moves leisurely about in all parts of the courts and galleries, 

 while D. pace adheres in groups to the roots penetrating the nests. If 

 carefully detached from the root without injuring them, they will 

 move away slowly and awkwax'dly,and conceal themselves in any nook 

 or shady place. 



The colonies were the most populous and healthy, and had con- 

 structed the largest galleries and courts of all the many hundreds of 

 nests we have observed and studied during the last twelve years. 

 Several of them were old established colonies, their courts, tracks, 

 and galleries being highly finished and smoothly trodden. The whole 



