﻿LÉPIDOPTÉROLOGIE COMPARÉE 28 1 



drained away. No proof of ant larvae being eaten has so far 

 been found, but yestcrday an aie on larva was circled round ihe 

 larger (posterior) end of an ant larva, with its head in the 

 ventral concavity, so that one niigiit say that the ant larva was 

 curled round the head of the alcoii larva. The ant larva is, 

 however, so immobile that the position was of course due to the 

 action of the aie on. It seemed impossible to avoid believing 

 that the alcon was, or was about to, cat or suck the juiccs of 

 the ant larva. The [jrocess was of course interfercd with by 

 letting the light mto the ncst. 



Oct. jth. Largest is about 6 mm. long, others fully 5, and 

 ail hâve segments so swollen and incisions so stretched that 

 thcy can hardly grow much more without a moult. (It will be 

 seen later that this was a very erroneous conclusion to arrive at). 



Ocf. 8lh. In each of the two nests a larva of alcon was in 

 the position described on .Sept. 30th. The head of the alcon 

 was in the hollow of the curved ant larva and its front seg- 

 ments curled round the end of the ant larva. In both cases, the 

 alcon was seized at once by an ant, as always occurs when the 

 nest is examined and carried off. The alcon in each case held 

 on to the ant larva that was carried off with it. It is difïicult 

 to say whether the alcon held the ant larva by its jaws or by 

 its legs round the end of the ant larva. It is unfortunate that 

 the disturbance of letting the light into the nest prevents the 

 further procédure of the alcon being observed, as they shortly 

 dropped the ant larva. 



The middens were examined two days ago and remains of 

 ant larvae found consisting apparently only of skins and intes- 

 tinal contents. 



Oct. loth. Much the same. The nests with alcon hâve 

 dwindling broods and most days one or two apparently sucked 

 larvae are m the " midden ". The nests without alcon maintain 

 the brood undiminished. One larva of alcon taken from one of 



