3G THE entomologist's record. 



kept the small larva from the Mi/miica nest, with these ants. It was 

 unfortunately killed by them and eaten when nearly full grown. The 

 smallest larva I had is now full grown and still alive to-day, December 

 23rd, it having lived in my nest for over seven months. It is always 

 in the chamber occupied by the ants. "When they move it very slowly 

 follows them. The ants often sit on it and walk over it, but they never 

 feed it. In my former'''^-'-^'' experiments I kept the ants and larvae in a 

 bowl with earth, and as the ants and the ^licrudon larvte were always 

 beneath the earth, I could never see them without disturbing the nest. 

 Now I have been able constantly to observe them. It is quite clear 

 that the food of the larva consists of the droppings and pellets (Janet's'-^ 

 Bmilettes de nettoi/of/e) of the ants. It has never had any other 

 food in the bare chamber in which it lives, it has never gone to the 

 honey which is in the last (the light) chamber, the ants have never fed 

 ir., and it has grown to afull size larva from a very tiny young one. The 

 same thing took place with Crawley's larva which was nearly full 

 grown when killed. The photograph of a live larva, etc., will be 

 found in the Ent. Bee. for 1909, plate 2. 



Melichia liidens, Wahl. — Specimens were taken with Lasiim 

 fidininofiiis at Darenth Wood, on May 26th, and at Gxshott on June 

 6th. The latter is the fourth British specimen, and Oxshott is a new 

 locality for it. 



P/iora formicaniw, Verrall. — On July 22nd specimens of this tiny 

 fly were observed and captured, hovering over ants in nests of Formica 

 saiuiia')iea, Losius miihratHs, and Mijrmica lobicornis, at Weybridge, a 

 new locality for the Dipteron. 



Fltnra cnjtfnriiiis, Wood. — Two specimens and a species of Oscinis 

 were found in a nest of Mtjnnica laen'nodis under a stone at Rannoch 

 on June 14th. 



I'/njllnmi/zia lasiae, Collin. — Some small Dipterous pups taken 

 in a nest of L. fidiniunsiis at Wellington College on May 6th, and 

 introduced into my L. fnlu/inotius nest, hatched out on May 16th and 

 28th and proved to be this species. It will be remembered that 

 I^ bred P. forwicae from larvas taken in a nest of F. riifa var. rtifo- 

 l)ratensis, at Nethy Bridge. The larva? of these flies are not true 

 parasites but live at large in the ants' nests. 



Scatilla qnadrotix var. ? — Collin has queried a fly which I had taken 

 several times last year in the L. fnlininosiis nest at Darenth Wood as 

 above. I must express my thanks to him for naming these small 

 Diptera for me. 



IIeteroptera. — ricznstctlnts faruiici'toruiii, Boh. — This little bug 

 occurred in numbers in one nest at Rannoch on June 10th, both 

 nymphs and perfect insects being secured. 



BRAcoNiDiE. — Fiijihoriift bistiiimaticK^, Morley. — A female bred out 

 of my F. rnfa nest from Weybridge, on July 4th. 



Pachyloinma biiccata, Breb. — This species was found in numbers 

 near Rame Head, Cornwall, on July 9th. A large nest of [.asius niper 

 occurred under a very big heavy stone, and the Bracons were hovering 

 over the ants around the edges of the stone where the latter entered the 



•■« Ent. Eec, 1907, p. 255. 



'•» Ent. lice, 1909, pp. 18 and 19. 



2' Etxides siir Zcs Fourmix, etc.. No. 13, 1897, p.l6. 



M Ent. Eec, 1909, p. 288. 



