( xxvi ) 



far as my observations go it is essentially a tree ant. In fact, 

 I cannot call to mind any instance of finding it on the ground, 

 and certainly I have never seen nor heaid of its intruding 

 into human habitations. It is not carnivorous, has no func- 

 tional sting, and its jaws are so feeble that its bite is not 

 perceptible on the naked hand. Aphfenogaster barbara, 

 again, is, so far as I know, a stiact vegetarian, and I 

 presume its subspecies or race capensis is so also. Eevert- 

 iug to the correspondence, there is some mention made 

 of the ants causing the plague being identified by some 

 entomologist as termites. It is evident that the specimens 

 sent to Mr. Eothney and those declared to be Termites could not 

 have been the same. No entomologist could confound a true 

 ant with a Termite, unless, indeed, on a hasty glance in perhaps 

 a bad light he mistook the ^ of I)or)/his for a Termite, which it 

 somewhat superficially resembles. Dorylus helvolus, Linn., is, 

 I am informed, exceedingly common in the vicinity of Cape 

 Town ; it is a carnivorous species, and the ^^ I know have a 

 habit of * marching in a thick black stream,' as mentioned in 

 Mr. Timberlake's letter. 



" To sum up, I am of opinion that, owing to causes which 

 to us are still veiy obscure, there may have been during the 

 last two years a phenomenal increase of ant life in the vicinity 

 of Cape Town, and that the so-called plague is caused by not 

 one but by several species of ants. 



"I have ventured to bring this remarkable occurrence to 

 the notice of the Society at the special request of Mr. Rothney. 

 In more than one letter to me Mr. Rothney has expressed the 

 hope that some of the members of the Society will take the 

 matter up, and make suggestions as to the best means of 

 combating what is no doubt a very great infliction to the 

 inhabitants of Cape Town." 



Dr. G. B. LoNGSTAFF read a paper " On some Rest Attitudes 

 in Butterflies," illustrated by numerous specimens arranged 

 upon backgrounds of specially-prepared sand-paper approxi- 

 mating to the natural surroundings of the insects in their 

 various habitats. 



Dr. T. A. Chapman understood that Dr. Longstaff's remarks 

 refeiTed chiefly to resting attitudes during qiiiescence, whem 



