288 THE entomologist's record. 



this beetle in a nest of F. e.vsecta at Parkhuvst Forest, Isle of Wight. 

 This is a new locality for it, as the species has only been found at 

 Bournemouth up to now, where I first discovered it in Britain. 



OxYPODA REcoNDiTA, Kr. — Several specimens of this rare species 

 were taken with F. rufa at Buddon Wood in May. 



OxYPODA VITTATA, MyRMEDONIA FUNESTA, M. COGNATA, and M. LATICOLLIS 



were found with Tj. fidhiinosus at Darenth Wood in June and September ; 

 a new locality for all. 



Myrmedonia limbata, Pk. — A specimen was observed at Bradgate 

 Park, in Leicestershire, on May 3rd, to seize a larva of Lasins jianis 

 and drag it out of the nest. 



Xantholinus atratus, Gr. — Several specimens occurrel with 

 F. rnf'a at Buddon Wood, in May, and one was swept at Tubney, near 

 Oxford, in June. 



Claviger testaceus. Preys. — On June 1st, Mr. Forsyth sent me 

 a nest of Lasius flavns from Portland, which contained some 50 

 specimens of (.'laviger. I put two 5 s, and a number of ^ s, egg-masses, 

 and young larvaB into a small plaster nest, with many Clavigers, 

 and frequently saw the Clavigers fed and licked. They ate all the 

 young larvae and eggs, and also pupre of other ants I introduced. As 

 many as five or more specimens sat on and crawled about the 2 s, 

 especially on their abdomina, and I believe they ate the eggs as they, 

 were laid. Many of the ^ s died, and the Clavigers ate those too 

 I kept introducing more ^ s and larvae from the main nest. No 

 Clavigers died, and the $ s lived till August 30th. I took them 

 to the Isle of Wight, but, unfortunately, on the journey home, all were 

 killed. 



Myrmetes piceus, Pk. — This species occurred in great numbers 

 in nests of Formica riifa at Buddon Wood, in May ; I brought a lot 

 home, and introduced them into m}^ different observation-nests. In a 

 nest of F. rufibarbis var. fiisco-riifibarbis, 1 introduced 12 specimens on 

 May 6th. I had given these ants pups of F. rnfa to eat. The Myrmetes 

 bored into the pupje and devoured the whole contents. On May 10th, 

 I noticed a pair in cop. The <? sits far back on the dorsum of the 

 ? . A ^ was observed to lick one of the Myrmetes. 



Cetonia floricola, Hbs. — ^In May I found a number of the larvae 

 of this beetle in a nest of Fomrica rufa, at Nethy Bridge. I brought 

 home some 16 specimens in a tin full of the nest materials, on which 

 the larvae feed. I introduced six specimens into my F. rufa observa- 

 tion-nest (these immediately bored into the nest and disappeared), some 

 I preserved in spirit, and the rest I left in the tin. The larva does 

 not use the legs for walking. When placed on a table, or on the floor, 

 it turns over on its back, and moves rapidly along by means of the 

 bristles on the back, the legs being held up in the air. The larvae in 

 the tin made their pupa-cases from the nest materials and pupated at 

 the end of July, and hatched out in August. I have them alive now. 

 Those in my nest hatched out and came up in August. 



Diptera. — Phyllomyza formice, Collin. — I bred this species this 

 year from larvae which I found in some numbers in a nest of Formica 

 rufa-pratensis, at Nethy Bridge, in May. The larvje occurred in the 

 chambers of the ants at the bottom of the nest. This proves that the 

 species is not parasitic on the ants, but lives free in the nests. I put 



