MYRMECOPHILOUS NOTES. 



11 



In August over ten different i'.isecta nests were found in Parkhurst 

 Forest, some at a considerable distance from the head quarters. It is, 

 therefore, well established here. This is fortunate, as the best locality 

 at Bournemouth is in danger of being destroyed. A road has been 

 made through the spot, and building operations are being carried out 

 all round. When the nests at Parkhurst were situated on a bank, or 

 other acclivity, they always faced the east. I may mention, that this 

 year I have carried a pocket compass with me, wherever I have been 

 investigating ants' nests, and have found they invariably face the 

 east. They thus obtain the benefit of the morning sun. This has 

 been demonstrated by Forel ' and others. I found several nests of 

 F. exsecta at Braemar in June, another new locality for this species. 

 Foniiica fdsca, L., was found to be abundant at Braemar, in June, 

 both on Mts. Marrone and Ben-na-buird. The latter mountain is over 

 4,000ft. high, and perpetual snow lies on the top. The nests, which 

 were under stones, appeared to me to cease below 2,000ft. 



La.s//(s itiiibratxs, Nyl. — Nests of this scarce, but widely distributed 

 ant, were found at Wey bridge and Box Hill. Only one colony, how- 

 ever, could be found in each locality. On May 1st a rather curious 

 observation was made in the nest at Box Hill by Mr. Bedwell and 

 myself. A large number of small empty land shells were seen in the 

 cells of the nest* which was situated under a stone. The ants appeared 

 to have collected them all together, and to be sitting on them. I have 

 no explanation to offer. It is exceedingly doubtful that the ants 

 would be under the impression that the shells were pupie, or that they 

 would serve as food. 



Myn/n'ra. — Of our two rarer species, I found a nest of M. lobi- 

 coniiti, Nyl., at Weybridge, in May, and one of M. mtlcinodif;, Nyl., at 

 Braemar, in June. In neither nest did I find a queen. 



Lej'totliora.r acerroriuii, F., was nesting under stones at Braemar. 

 This ant is frequently found in company with other species. Farren"'' 

 White records it in a gorse stump in the centre of a nest of h . mn<jinnea 

 at Shirley, and Eothneyf continually found it with the same ant m 

 the same locality. Mr. Hamm tells me he took it in the nest of 

 e.rstrta at Bovey Tracey in Devonshire. Poolj found winged J s and 

 $ s, as well as ^ s, in a F. rufa nest at Enfield. I have continually 

 found it in company with i^\ r/(/'ci at Weybridge. [i I found ^s and 

 winged .^ s and 2 s m a F. rufa nest at Nethy Bridge'" in July, 1908, 

 and have taken the worker with F. saiif/ainea at Wokingf. Wheeler has 

 written on the presence of Leptotharax species in strange ants' nests. 

 I may mention that I have taken dealated ? s, and 5 s of Leptotliorax 

 nylandi-fi, Forst., frequently with /.. fiiiiyinoHus, at Oxshott, and sub- 

 sequently in nests of the same ant at Wellington College. Wasmann]: 

 records L. acercoruni with F. tniiuicula, F. rufa, F. sani/iiinea, F. faaca, 

 Mynii'ua ruyinoclis, and M. laevinodis. It has very rarely occurred 

 with L. tiii/er, both species being much of the same size. He remarks 



* '' Founnillieres Boussoles " {Bull. Soc. Vaitd. Sc. Nat., xlv., 1909, p. 342.) 



* Ants and Their M'oys, 189-5, p. 244. 



t Ent. Mo. Mag., 1882, p. 263 ; 1892, p. 50 ; 189-3, p. 67. 



: Ent. Rec, 1906, p. 317. 



y, Ent. Bee, 1902, p. 16. 



* Trans. Leicester Lit. and Phil. Soc, xii., ii., 1908, p. 227. 

 t Ent. Rec, 1906, p. 817. 



; Biolog. Centralbl., xxx., 1910, p. 494. 



