78 D'At^ton, Botany of the "Little Desert.'' [v^u'xxx'. 



Cyperace^ — 



Lepidosperma carphoides, F. v. M. — Bundle-flowered Sword-sedge, 

 Cladium articulatum, R. Br. — Jointed Twig-rush. 

 Gahnia radula, Benth. — Black Saw-sedge. 

 Carex paniculata, L. — Panicle Sedge. 



CxRAMINEiE — 



Stipa semibarbata, R. Br. — Fibrous Spear-grass. 



Dichelachne crinita, Hook. f. — Long-hair Plume-grass. 



Danthonia penicillata, F. v. M. — Wallaby-grass. 



Triodia irritans, R. Br.— Porcupine-grass or False Spinifex. 

 Conifers — 



Calhtris calcarata, R. Br.— (?) Marong. 

 Filices — 



Pteris aquilina, L. — Bracken. 



Cheilanthes tennifolia, Swartz — Common Rock-fern. 



The Military Tactics of Ants. — ^The following incident, 

 which recently came under my notice, adds another to the 

 many instances that have been recorded of the fact that ants 

 at times exercise a degree of intelHgence nearly akin to reason. 

 Being out hunting the nimble bunny, and having shot one, 

 I placed the body near the nest of a thriving colony of small 

 black ants, with the view of ascertaining if the occupants were 

 of a carnivorous nature. They at once swarmed over the rabbit ; 

 but, soon realizing that the object of their attack was harmless, 

 left it and returned to the task of enlarging their nest. Presently 

 some scouting members of the meat-ant tribe, Leptomyrmex 

 detectiis, discovered the rabbit, and, after taking a sample, as 

 is their wont, hurried away post haste with the news of the 

 booty to their own headquarters, some 40 feet distant. In a 

 few minutes half a hundred meat-ants were on the scene, and 

 as they scampered about some of them came in contact with 

 the little black ones. The latter seemed instantly to divine 

 an impending attack. Pouring from the nest in hundreds, they 

 flung themselves with great fury on the invaders, and a battle 

 royal took place. A strong body of the small ants, however, 

 had remained at the nest without taking part in the fray, and 

 these were now seen to be working with desperate energy to 

 close up the entrance to the nest. While some pulled a few 

 bits of straw or grass-seeds into the doorway, the rest carried 

 back the earth that had been excavated, piHng it up with 

 incredible rapidity, so that in a few moments no trace remained 

 of the entrance. That done, the word to retreat must have 

 been passed, and the whole colony, including the fighting rear- 

 guard, retired in a sohd phalanx to another nest of the same 

 species situated some yards away. To further test the 

 matter, I hfted the rabbit, now covered with meat-ants, and 

 put it near this second nest, with precisely the same result. 

 The cause of all the trouble was then removed, and a few hours 

 later the small ants had returned and taken full possession of 



