IS THE entomologist's RECORr>. 



hillock unmolested. It is, therefore, evidently protected by the 

 " Myrmedonia " smell. On April 25th I repeated the experiment with 

 a specimen taken in a nest of F. rufa at Weybridge, with the same 

 results. 



Coccindla diatincta, Fald. — On April 21st I introduced a specimen 

 of this ladybird, which I had taken in a nest of F. rufa, at Pamber 

 Forest, into my observation-nest. The ants were unable to seize it, its 

 defence being to retract the legs and duck down, when the ant's jaws 

 slip off its shiny elytra (see Flnt. licmnl, 1900, p. 173). When 

 an ant was forced to take hold of the beetle's leg, it let go at once. 

 Another ant held on for some little time, dragging the beetle about. 

 The ladybird remained motionless with all the other legs retracted and 

 the }ello\v exudation which is excreted by the Coccinellidae was very 

 apparent. The ant then let go and appeared to be very upset, walking 

 round in circles, and was very languid for a long time afterwards. 

 The beetle walked away unhurt. I repeated the exjDeriment on April 

 25th, for Professor IJeare to see, with specimens we had taken in the 

 nests of F. rufa, at W(\ybridge. The same results were observed. 



Atoiidis oiimijinatns, Payk. — On April 25th I introduced into ray 

 observation-nest a specimen I had taken in a nest of Fornika fiisca, at 

 Weybridge, after trying the other experiments, in small boxes, forcing 

 an ant to seize the beetle, etc. Exactly the same results \vere 

 obtained as with A. iiaruda.nis, the beetle eventually entering the nest 

 unhurt. 



Lcptariuiis fininntnniiii, Mark. — On April 25th I introduced 

 specimens from F. rufa nests, at Weybridge, into my nest. The 

 beetles displayed the usual defence and also appeared to escape by 

 reason of their small size. They all entered the nest unhurt. 



Mtjniiiti's piccHH, Payk. — I also introduced this beetle from 

 Weybridge. It was unmolested. It is too hard for the ants to bite, 

 and when held and an ant forced to bite at it, the ant's jaws slip off 

 its smooth body. 



I may mention that the nest referred to above is a nest of /'. rufa, 

 which 1 obtained from Oxshott, on April 7th. On March 14th, I had 

 dug up my old nest as no ants had appeared this year. I found the 

 bulk of the ants and several queens in a ball all joined together by 

 mould, which had probably killed them. There were no living ants, but 

 the remains of many w^ere scattered about the nest, the work, I am 

 inclined to think, of the conniion wood-louse, of which there were great 

 numbers alive in the nest. This recalls to mind Mr. W. W. Smith's 

 note, in the Fnt. Mo. Ma;/., 1902, p. 182, on the displacement of ants 

 by woodlice in New Zealand. I think the woodlice take the oppor- 

 tunity when the ants are hybernating to eat them ; they are evidently 

 obnoxious to the ants, as I have written in my note-book, on October 

 20th, 1901, " A common woodlouse came up on to the hillock, it was 

 attacked by two ants and killed." The other living creatures in the 

 nesi were — I'lafi/arihrus Inijfiiiaim'ntin, in numbers; F>hmjidu>> t/nttiila- 

 tus, in numbers; llnhia albiiia, several; Thiircontlu'niis binrata, several; 

 and two Cli/t/ira cases, containing living larva', fastened to bits of wood, 

 hybernating. These evidently sprung from the eggs of Cli/t lira which 

 my ants had taken into the nest earlier in the year. I also found in 

 the cleft of a bit of wood in the heart of the nest, the nest and eggs 

 of the spider, T/ii/reusthciiKs hluvata. — November 1902. 



