The Life History of Clythra quadri-punctata. 13 



I also removed some larvae and pupae from their cases 

 and introduced them into my nest. These were attacked 

 and torn to pieces by the ants. The naked larva is a fat, 

 fleshy grub with a hard, horny head; it is much curved, and 

 its hinder end, which is the largest part, is bent forwards, 

 as in the Lamellicomia. 



On May 4th I noticed a larva crawling about. I have 

 in my notes, " It appeared to bite at the mould, fir- 

 needles, etc." 



On May 13th I introduced from the Blean Woods, 

 where I had taken very many cases of all sizes in the ants' 

 nest there, several pupal and larval cases. The same 

 I'esults were obtained. The ants carried some of them up 

 the sides of the glass case, as if to remove them altogether. 

 All the pupa3 were in the end taken into the nest, or into 

 some of the galleries underground ; the larvoe entering 

 the nest themselves. 



On May 14th a larva was observed walking about, and on 

 the 19th another was seen to come up out of a gallery and 

 crawl about. The ants now paid no attention to it, walk- 

 ing over and by it. On June 16th I noticed an ant carrying 

 a Clythra case with a larva in it. It took it out of the 

 nest, and threw it into the water-trough. I put it back, 

 but on the 17th it was again removed. I put it back for 

 the second time, when it went down a gallery and was 

 seen no more. 



Having placed Clythra cases containing larvas in small 

 boxes with damp blotting-paper, I gave to some *' egg- 

 masses" of Formica nifa, to others dead ants and dead 

 beetles, etc., from the nest. They none of them ever 

 touched the " egg-masses " or any other animal matter 

 supplied to them. They however sucked the wet blotting- 

 paper. The largest larvae (full-grown) closed their cases 

 and pujjated, but the smaller ones lived for months without 

 growing, and in the end died. I placed others in boxes 

 with mould and twigs, etc., from the nest. They appeared 

 to bite at the refuse. Finally, to settle this question of 

 food, I sent some full-grown fresh larvae in spirit to Pro- 

 fessor Poulton, who had kindly promised to dissect them 

 for me under the microscope. He tells me he detected 

 pieces of vegetable tissue after careful treatment, and that 

 there is no doubt there was vegetable matter in the diges- 

 tive tract. I also removed several larvas from their cases, 

 and put them into small boxes with the same different 



