April .S<)6.] 



I'srciiE. 



371 



to escape. Mr. Blanchard writes timt 

 tliese are true parnsitits ;ind not eitlier 

 of the new species wliich have been con- 

 foLHuleil with it in some collections. 

 Batrhus scabriccps Lee one speci- 

 men, from near the top of the nest. 

 Oxytelus siispccins Casey, one speci- 

 men .it about the same depth as the 

 Batrisiis. The exact status of this 

 Oxytelus in relation to the ants is rather 

 in doubt — but it seems quite likely 

 that it mav tind the neighborhood of 

 colonies agreeable in some way, since I 

 get nearly all mv specimens from the 

 nests of Formica siibsericea. The 

 colony above mentioned yiekled, in 

 addition to the things already eniuii- 

 erated, three specimens of Hetaerius 

 brniiinpeiin/sYLnnd. : these differ from 

 many other myrmecophiles in the habit 

 they have of feigning deatli at the 

 earliest alai'm, but they soon recovei' 

 and make of!" at a good rate. They are 

 to be found nearly thioughout the nest. 

 Another colony of F. siibsericea^ ex- 

 ainined about a month later, furnished 

 a single specimen of Batrisiis scabri- 

 ccps. 



II. Formica fiisco-o-ai^aies Forel. 

 Specimens of Oxytelus suspectiis were 

 taken from a nest of this ant. 



III. Formica obscitripes Forel. 

 A colony of this species has constructed 

 a large nest in the vicinity, covered by 

 a hillock of rubbish, chiefly small bits 

 of vegetable matter. The first explora- 

 tion of this nest was made on April 14, 

 1S94, at which time a considerable 

 number of the Staphv'linid beetle, Platy- 

 medon laticolle Casey, were obtained. 



It is an active insect and on being ex- 

 posed by the removal of shelter, immedi- 

 ately burrows again in the loose bits of 

 rubbish of which the ant-hill is com- 

 posed. No hostility was seen to be 

 manifested towards it by the numerous 

 ants. In the following year another 

 visit was made to the same nest, with 

 the result of finding, on April 26, about 

 twenty-five more of the Platymeilon, 

 though by May 19 it had become rather 

 scarce — possibly because so many had 

 been taken on tiie previous visit. The 

 eastward extension of the range of this 

 beetle is of intei^est, the previous records 

 having come from Arizona, Colorado 

 and Nebraska. The ant with which it 

 lives must be highly desirable company, 

 if we may judge from the number 

 of other guests taken on April 26 — 

 two specimens of a small undescribed 

 Aleocharinid, three Tachyporus, three 

 Lim III odes paradoxus Alatth., one 

 Anomala biiiotata Gvll. (this deep 

 do\yn in the nest), three Monotonia 

 fiilvipcs Melsh., and two AiitJiicus 

 melancliolicus Laf. 



\\ . Camponotiis pictiis Forel. It 

 is well known that tliis ant is the host 

 oi Lomec/iiisa cava Lee, and it seems 

 that the beetle may be found with it 

 through most of the warmer months of 

 the year. I have myself taken it at 

 Iowa City as early as April and as late 

 as September. This past summei' I 

 took three in a nest on August i i, and 

 have some records from Mr. A. B. 

 Wolcott showing it to occur in Illinois 

 March 18, and July 9, 12, and 26. Tt 

 may perhaps be double brooded. 



