258 THE entomologist's record. 



at home, Mr. Butler having told me whereabouts he thought he had 

 swept it. I was unsuccessful, so this year I visited Parkhurst again, 

 on April 26th, in company with Mr. Taylor, of Sandown. Mr. 

 Butler's spot not producing any, we went further, and I found a small 

 deserted nest, which I knew to be that of F\ eAsecta. We then went on 

 and came to a place which I surmised was most suitable for the ant, 

 and immediately afterwards we found four nests. I took a 2 and a num- 

 ber of ^ s from one, and I have them still, in a combined Fielde and 

 Janetnest. A large nest near, which, fromitsconstructionandmaterials, 

 was thought to be that of F. e.rsecta, turned out, on investigation, to 

 be inhabited by F. rnfa. Here either the former had deserted and the 

 latter had occupied the old nest, or else the latter had forcibly taken 

 possession. On May 17th, when at Aviemore, in Scotland, I discovered 

 two nests of this same ant, which has never been found in Scotland, or 

 the north, before. The present known distribution of this ant in 

 Britain is Aviemore, Bewdley in Worcestershire, New Forest, Park- 

 stone, Bournemouth, as far west as Poole, and as far east as Ringwood, 

 Parkhurst Forest, Isle of Wight, Bovey Tracey in Devonshire, and 

 the Land's End in Cornwall. 



Formica fusca var, rubescens, Forel. — I discovered a nest of this 

 var. (which I took at the time to be F. riifibarbia, F.) last year at Bewdley, 

 in May. I took a number of ^ s, but no ? could be found. This year 

 I visited the same nest in July. There were many J s present, but 

 no 2 s could be found. This looks as if the <y s must have been the 

 offspring of ^ s parthenogenetic eggs. The nest is situated partly under 

 a large, heavy stone, and partly in the bank which is built up round it. 

 This is the first time this variety has been recorded in Britain, though 

 Prof. Forel tells me it is common in Switzerland. 



Tapinoma erraticum, Ltr. — On May 9th I discovered a fine nest of 

 this little ant at Woking, but no ? could be found. As there were a 

 number of larvte, and large and small pupfe present, I took a number 

 of them and some ^ s to try and breed the sexes. I kept them in a 

 small plaster nest. Some of the larvae changed to pupae, but, in spite 

 of all the food I gave the ^ s — caterpillars and pupfE of 

 other ants — they devoured all their own larvfe and pupte by degrees. 

 Then some eggs were laid by one of the ^ s. These were carried 

 about for some time, but eventually eaten, so the experiment failed. 



Myrmecina latreillei. Curt.- — ^^ s of this rare little ant were taken, 

 one in a nest of Formica fusca, at Rame Head, in April, one with 

 Lasitis fiaiuis, Meavy Valley, also in April, and five specimens at roots 

 of herbage, with Ladus niger at St. Helen's, Isle of Wight, in August. 

 I swept up three winged 2 s and two <y s at Ditchling, in Sussex, in 

 August, and a winged 2 at Tring in October. Both ^ s and 2 s of 

 this ant feign death when handled. 



Myrmica scabrinodis, Nyl. — Lateral gynandromorph. My friend, 

 Mr. Hereward Dollman, swept up a specimen half <y half ^ , at Ditch- 

 ling, which he kindly gave to me. Only two other gynandromorphic 

 ants, besides the two of F. sanguinea I mention above, have been recorded 

 before in Britain. 



Stenamma westwoodi, West. — I took a 2 iii a nest of Formica rufa 

 at Parkhurst Forest in April, and another with Lasins fuliyinosus at 

 Darenth Wood in June. 



SoLENOPsis FuoAX, Ltr. — It was found in some numbers with 



