OBSERVATIONS ON THE HABITS OF ANTS. 53 



pupa state, but much affected by the attacks of ichneumons. The 

 perfect insect of the former came freely to sugar, in company 

 with hosts of Leucania turca, sundry TriplKena fimbria, and other 

 commoners. Cleora glabraria hirvse had also been common. As 

 is well known, most of the late ones are ichneumoned, but we took 

 sufficient to breed a good series. 



Triphana subsequa. — Of this we took some four or five at 

 sugar. It is easily distinguisbable from 2\ orbona by the spot on 

 the costa, by the size of the discoidal spots (which are larger and 

 more distinct than in Orbona), and by its general appearance 

 when at rest on the trees. 



The ijrincipal excitement of the evening during the last few 

 days of our sta}' was caused by the appearance in some numbers 

 of those two handsome insects, Catocala promissa and C. sponsa. 

 The first, C. promissa, appeared on the 13th July, and the species 

 gradually increased in numbers from that time. C. sponsa came 

 on the 19th, and was fully out by the 22nd, on which evening 

 we boxed without difficulty some forty without the aid of a 

 lantern; indeed by the time it was dark enough to light up, both 

 " crimsons " had disappeared, and the tree trunks were almost 

 deserted. 



In the foregoing sketch I have referred only to the most 

 noticeable species taken by us during one of the pleasantest of 

 many holidays spent in the New Forest. 

 Wanstead, Noyember 1, 1881, 



OBSERVATIONS ON THE HABITS OF ANTS.* 

 By Sir John Lubbock, Bart., M.P., F.R.S., Pres. Linn. Sec. 



Identification of Companions. 



With reference to the interesting problem as to how ants 



recognize their companions, I have tried the following little 



experiment. It is of course well known, and has been abundantly 



proved by my experiments, that although if a strange ant is 



introduced into a community even of the same species, she is at 



once attacked. On the other hand, if a few ants belonging to 



different communities are placed together in a confined space, 



* Furtlier Abstract of a Paper read before the Linnean Society, November I7tb, 

 1881, continued (Entom. xiv. 282;. 



