Migration and dispersal of insects : hyjienoptera, termites. 213 



gave a quotation from a Plymouth paper, in which the writer states 

 that, driving along the road to Redruthan, he was surprised by a 

 sudden gust of wind bringing with it an immense swarm of winged 

 ants, too many of which settled upon himself and his friends for their 

 comfort. Upon arrival at Redruthan a large portion of the sand was 

 found to be darkened with dead ants, evidently drowned, and each 

 receding wave left a wide mark along the beach. A somewhat similar 

 occurrence is recorded by Bates, but in this case also the ants were dead. 

 He notes that whilst travelling up the Tapajoz, near Point Cate- 

 juba, he noticed a large quantity of drowned winged ants along the 

 beach. " They were all of one species, the terrible 'formiga de fogo' 

 {Myrmica saevissima) , the dead or half-dead bodies of which were 

 heaped up in a line an inch or two in height and breadth, the line 

 continuing for miles at the edge of the water. The countless thousands 

 had been doubtless cast into the river while flying, during a sudden 

 squall the night before, and afterwards cast ashore by the waves " (Nat. 

 on the Aiiiaions, p. 201). White observes {E)it.,\x., p. 234) that, towards 

 the end of iVugust, 1.S76, a swarm of ants, fourteen yards broad, which 

 took half an hour to pass in a south-east direction, was observed by 

 him whilst he was fishing in the Ouse, near St. Ives, that thousands 

 fell into the river and were eagerly preyed upon by the roach and 

 dace. Smith, remarking on this record, says that such swarms are 

 common about the middle of August, that they generally take place 

 after rain, and when the air is moist and warm, and usually belong to 

 the Myrmicidae — Myrmica scahrinodis, M. rwjinodis and M. laevinodis, 

 being the best-known of the migrating species. 



Some very interesting accounts of migration, or perhaps it would 

 be more correct to say the movements of male ants, in America, have 

 been recorded. Lawton Williams records [I'syche, vi., pp. 180-181) 

 that, on the night of August 27th, 1891, Hornellsville, New York, was 

 visited by a vast shoal of small Hymenoptera that came from the south, 

 and which, as long as observed, moved in a northerly direction. They 

 made their appearance about sunset, and, on the following morning, 

 they had entirely disappeared. They were of minute size, pos- 

 sessed four membranous, glossy wings, and the abdomen was 

 separated from the thorax by a narrow constriction. " The after- 

 noon preceding the evening of their appearance was sultry and 

 oppressive, and the sky was unclouded. Just before dusk, a vast 

 mound-like cloud became visible south of the city. It had an ap- 

 parent altitude of about two thousand feet, and was of the cumulus 

 type. It shone with a semi-metallic lustre due to reflections from the 

 western sky. A few luiuutes later the insects began to come from the 

 direction of the cloud. It would be impossible to estimate their 

 numbers. Probably there were, at least, hundreds of millions. There 

 were places where they flew as thick as hail, and like hail in a 

 common direction. When they had fully arrived the electric lights 

 became the chief centres of their activity. They flew about the lights 

 until exhausted, when they fell to the floors in such numbers that they 

 were swept up by the merchants." Hornellsville is situated in a 

 valley extending approximately north and south. One remarkable 

 fact observed about this occurrence was that " these insects occupied a 

 limited belt in the centre of the valley and did not extend to the 

 elevated portions of the town on either side. There were no insects 



