23 



Tapinoma. — We have been unable to find any direct evidence 

 with regard to this genus. Judging from the size of the female, 

 it is highly probable that they found in the normal way. The 

 fact that so many queens are found in the same nest indicates 

 the reception of females into the parent nest after the marriage- 

 flight, or the joining together of several females to found their 

 colony. DoNisTHORPE has found several nests of T. crraticiini 

 containing two or more (jueens, and one this spring containing 

 four queens, while Ckawlev in i()05 found a colony containing 

 six queens in Vaud, Switzerland, and in kjocj a large colony of 

 T. sessile in Ohio, which contained more than thirty queens. 

 In the New Forest on July 24th this year we found a nest of 

 T. erraticum which contained some twenty (pieens. 



Ants of this genus are very difficult to keep in captivity. 

 They will feed on honey, small flies, etc., for a day or two, and 

 then refuse all food. Donisthorpe has had two colonies that 

 devoured their own larvie and pupae, and the large colony of 

 T. sessile mentioned above, which Crawley brought to England, 

 died off in two months. The ants in this case did not eat their 

 brood, which was left to perish, but seemed to become graduall}' 

 paralysed. Donisthorpe has a nest, taken at Woking on 

 May i2th, which contained many male and female pupie, all 

 of which were gradually devoured. The ants, however, have 

 since brought up a number of workers, and the colony appears 

 to be in good condition at present. 



Subfamily Camponotinœ. 



AssMUTH showed that Prenolcpis lougicornis in India (often 

 common in hot-houses here and all over the world) sometimes 

 founds its colonies by what has been called " secondary pleo- 

 metrosis," i.e. by the females returning to their own nest after 

 being fertilised in or near it. Donisthorpe obtained thirteen 

 females, in a llower-pot at Kew, with workers and larvie, which 

 is additional evidence of this habit, though there is no reason 

 to suppose that the females cannot found colonies singly. 



Coming to the genus Lasius, we find conclusive evidence of 

 both normal founding and " temporary social parasitism." 

 We are for the moment concerned only with the former. 



