$6 Lea, The Guests of Ants, Bees, and Termites. [^^^'^jui^^'" 



extremely slow in movement, so that, despite their bright 

 colours, they are easily overlooked. Most of the species live 

 detached from the ants, and some are so extremely small 

 (dust-like, in fact), that they are easily missed, even when specially 

 searched for. 



Some of the species attach themselves to the ants, usually to 

 the legs, but one Tasmanian species fastens itself to the middle 

 of the body, and as it is of a flesh colour, whilst its host ant is 

 black, it is readily seen. So many occur in a nest sometimes 

 that at first it appears as if two species of ants were living 

 together. 



One species taken by Mr. Davey, near Geelong, has 

 immensely powerful legs. Mr. Goudie writes of a Sea Lake 

 species that jumps (no other jumping mite of any sort is known 

 to me), and many other species are strongly at variance with 

 ordinary Acaridce. 



At the present time several Australian entomologists are co- 

 operating to collect the guests of ants. A paper dealing with 

 the beetles has almost been completed by myself, but much 

 remains to be done with the other groups, and the material in 

 hand is far too scanty when the large field from which it is drawn 

 is considered. When sufficient quantities of materials of the 

 other groups are available, these will be sent to various specialists, 

 whose papers on them it is hoped to have published by the Royal 

 Society of Victoria. When the papers referring to the other 

 groups have been published, the whole of the specimens, other 

 than those retained by the specialists as types, will be deposited 

 in the National Museum in Melbourne, and it is therefore desir- 

 able to make them as representative as possible. Many of the 

 beetles are already there, and others will shortly follow. 



The present time, therefore, seems a very good one to search 

 the nests of ants, bees, and termites for visitors. Two Victorian 

 naturalists, Mr. J. C. Goudie, of Sea Lake, and Mr. H. W. Davey, 

 of Geelong, have done much to work up our ants'-nest insects ; 

 but it is now suggested that other naturalists should collect all 

 classes of ants'-nest insects and mites and forward them to Mr. 

 Jas. A. Kershaw, the Curator of the National Museum, or to 

 myself. Department of Agriculture, Hobart. In every instance 

 the collector's name will be acknowledged when the new species 

 are described. 



In collecting the specimens it is as well to place them in small 

 tubes of spirits (methylated will do) with several specimens of the 

 ants, bees, or termites in whose nests they were taken ; or, if 

 they are mounted, specimens of the ants, &c., should be 

 attached to the same pins as the specimens, and preferably 

 mounted on the same cards. 



