,v,.rv horcr-iufcsKMl stalk, and they had spread over several 

 fields. 15v the end of the dry st-asun, however, the ants, whieh 

 bad heron'ie scarce dnrinsi' the ^vet weather, were usaiu exceed- 

 ingly ahundanl. and no flies or their pnimria were t.. ho 

 fonnd. 



We have had sinular experience in each (d the districts 



where the flies have been liberated, even tc thos(> that were 



rsent over to (^leensland,— at first they w.nihl app.'ar to he 



established and spreading in the fields during the rainy season. 



hut later they wonld entirely disappear. 



The only wav that I can account for the way these flicks 

 have sncceeded in Hawaii is that mcjarcphala is not nearly 

 as nnnierons here. 



Thondi these ants are often regarded as noxions insec-ts 



because -d! their relation to Aphids, (\)ccids and leaf-bopi>ers, 



■ we must oive them credit for the fact that they <dten devour 



1 these insects, especially if there is a shortage of the honey-dew. 



^Professor Heer (1852 and 1856) speaks with snrprise of their 



^destrnction of cochineal insects, and recently Swezey (lt)i:)) 



recorded their eating some of the mealy bngs on sugar cane. 



Moreover, Dr. Wheeler (1910) points ont that ants also nmder 



some assistance bv removing the sweet excretions prodnced by 



these varions bngs, for if left to fall npon the leaves, it turnis 



a cnltnre for destrnctive leaf fungi. 



Fnrthermore, this species can hardly be regarded a^ a honse- 

 hold pest. Thongh they show a fondness for foods c..nt:nning 

 fats and proteids, particularly meats, beans, cheese, bntter, 

 etc these foods can easily be protected from them. I have 

 not' observed that they show a particular liking for sweets, 

 in the house, as recorded by Professor Ueer (1852, 18..b). 

 As he noted, however, they do have a decided pref(>rence for 

 an insect diet, and we find them not only removing the dead 

 insects that chance about the place, but also going after the In- 

 ino- One remarkable case was that (d some dried fish whicli 

 hJtl become thoroughly infested with D.^rmestid larvae, ^^hen 

 first observed, the ants were all over this fish and vigorously 

 attacking the spiny larvae. Within tw.. days not one of the 



