Sa THK ENTOMOLOGIST S RECOKD. 



retaining their wings to-day (November 15th). Many males were 

 reared as usual, and the colony continues in a flourishing condition. 



Stenamtna westicoodi. West. — As pointed out in British Ants (p. 142), 

 very few actual colonies of this rare species have ever been found. Its 

 habits are obscure, and it is usual only to find isolated workers, often 

 in or near other ants' nests ; though sometimes a certain number may 

 occur together in moss, etc. Mr. Phillips has, however, recently found 

 a number of colonies in their actual nests in County Wexford. For his 

 very interesting account of these discoveries see the Irish Naturalist for 

 November [30 125-7 (1921)] . I am indebted to Mr. Phillips, and to 

 Mr. Stelfox of the Dublin Museum, for a nice little live colony of this 

 ant, which they kindly posted to me. On September 20th I fixed up 

 this colony, which consisted of a deiilated $ , some 50 ^ ^ , and a 

 number of medium and large larvjig, in a four-chambered "Janet" nest. 

 The $ laid eggs on September 21st, and again between November 2nd 

 and 7tb. I find the ^ ^ " feign death" when touched ; they also have 

 a curious habit, when the cloth over the nest is raised and the colony 

 disturbed by being exposed to the light, of rushing at a larva, seizing it, 

 and apparently giving it a good shaking up ! I have found when touched 

 that a larva will exude a drop of thick white fluid ; it is probable that 

 this is a means of defence, and possible that the worker shakes up a 

 larva to induce it to discharge this fluid. These ants devour flies and 

 other insects readily, with bits of which thej' feed the larvae, as also 

 with crumbs of cake and biscuits ; but they do not appear to care much 

 for honey. Mr. Main has kindly photographed two of the larva? for me. 

 He had them in his possession for about a fortnight, at the end of 

 which time, when I returned them to their nest, the ^ ? for a long 

 time would have nothing to do with them. Eventually they were 

 placed with the rest of the brood. The following is a short description 

 of the egg and larva : — 



Egg. — White, opaque, shining, longer than broad, somewhat paiallel-sided, 

 rounded at each end ; rather large for the size of the insect. 



Larva. — Greyish white, head pale yellow, mandibles reddish ; covered all over 

 ■with short anchor-tipped golden hairs. Plainly segmented to within a third of the 

 posterior end ; the head and 3 thoracic somites bent over posteriorly towards the 

 ventral surface. Head fiat, rounded, with short very pointed mandibles ; abdomen 

 pyriforni. 



The larva is semi-transparent under the microscope, part of the 

 alimentary canal, breathing apparatus, and nervous system being 

 visible through the skin from the dorsal and ventral aspects ; but not 

 nearly so plainly through the sides. At the ventral posterior end of 

 the body, a white opaque mass can be seen through the skin, which is 

 evidently of a liquid consistency, as when the larva is touched with a 

 paint brush, a thick white drop of fluid is exuded from the anus, which 

 either evaporates very quickly, or is partly received back into the body, 

 leaving a thick white coating of the consistency of " Chinese White " 

 on the anal surface of the larva. 



Acanthomyops [Uonistltorpea) ttii/er. L. — Marriage flights of this ant 

 took place on July 7th and 8th this year at Putney ; about a month 

 earlier than the more usual time. On August 20th another flight 

 occurred in my garden at Putney in the afternoon, and shortly after it 



