80 [April, 



JV. latii'Pnlrisi lives mainly on the ground amongst low herbage or 

 the rubbish that aecuniulates on hedge-banks ; but it is also taken by 

 sweeping, which implies that it sometimes climbs the ])lants. Both 

 Morley and I have found it common in some places l)y sweeping nettle- 

 beds. Gredler (" Khynchota Tirolensia ") gives " under Bihes in March." 

 The fully-grown larvae are much more conspicuous than the adult in 

 consequence of the cream-coloured base of the abdomen ; they also seem 

 less inclined to hide under herbage. The insect is, doubtless, most 

 naturally carnivorous, feeding upon living ]n-ey, though the direct 

 evidence as to its food is slender. A small larva was found by Donis- 

 thorpe at Chale, I. W., on July 2-lth, 1006, sucking a $ Fhiyiognuthiis 

 arhustorum which was much larger than itself ( Poulton, " J-'redaceous 

 Insects and their prey," Trans. Ent. Soc. Lond., IIKX!). The chief 

 structural evidence bearing u]X)n the subject is the predatorial sluijie of 

 the fore-legs and the free condition of the very strong rosti-um. 



The ant-like form of the larva suggests myrmecophilous habits, at 

 least in that period of its existence, and there are a few observations 

 confirming this suggestion. It has been found running about in com- 

 pany with Formica J'lisca at Howth, Ireland, with F. tsdui/iiiiiea at 

 AVellington College, and with F. fusca at Chalc. Donistliori)e also 

 fomid the young larvae in the nests of F. sau(/uiiiea and of F. rnfa. 

 Hamm found it with Acu)it}io)nyops fuUginosa and A. niqra. I k'now 

 of nothing, however, to show what are the I'elations between the ants 

 and the bugs. Moreover, the larvae, especially in their later instars, are 

 quite as frequently, if not much more so, found running about on the 

 ground independently of ants. The distribution of the sjiecies, again, is 

 far wider than that of F. saiujiiineu or even of F. rufa. If the ant-like 

 appearance is protective in function, it would seem that, as ants do not 

 alter in size, while this larva does, the ant association should be with 

 different species at different periods in the life-cj'cle, with smaller species 

 of ants such as A. nigra when the Nahis is quite young, and with larger 

 species such as the Furmicae when it is more fully grown. This does 

 not, however, appear to be the case. 



An observation made by Dr. Marchal in France shows that this 

 insect may, on occasion, fulfil a useful role. He noticed, one day in 

 July, that eggs of the white butterllies Fierls hrassicae and P. rapae, 

 which were on the leaves of some cabbages, were empty, but had evidently 

 reached that condition, not by the regular process of hatching, but had 

 been in some way rified of their contents. Finding numbers of nymphs 

 of Nahis lativentris on the leaves of the cabbages, he suspected them of 



