the Infe-history of Spindasis lohita. 247 
with several kinds of ants, and are attractive to many 
other creatures, notably spiders. During the day the 
larve either remain in their leaf-shelters, as observed 
before, or more frequently in the ant-nests; especially in 
the latter, it would appear, in the dry season, when in 
January and February there is often much really cold 
weather. Some of these ant-nests are a fair size, but most 
of them very small; often made of one leaf with the edges 
turned up and roofed over with felted material; or two or 
three leaves are employed. Very often a succession of 
small nests encircle a slender branch, especially at the 
junctions of twigs; or they envelop a stalk and leaf or 
berry of the mistletoe—each little nest containing some 
aphides and ants, and occasionally a larva or two larvee of 
Spindasis. The ant-nests are built of masticated vegetable 
matter, rather like the ‘“‘ paper” of a wasps’ nest, but the 
material is much thicker and coarser. The ants seem to 
make use of anything handy, however, as my attention was 
once drawn to the peculiar blue tint of some nests; but an 
old blue rag torn from some coolie’s raiment was hanging 
close by in the shrub, which had been chewed up and used 
in the construction of the nests. 
The larvee issue forth from their shelters at night to 
feed, and are constantly attended by some of the ants, who 
often stand on the back of a larva, apparently caressing it 
with their antennz, and seeming to extract some juice 
from between the joints of the chitinous shields and the 
soft parts of the body; but chiefly they excite or irritate 
the larva by touching the tubulures with antenne and 
fore-legs, till the larva puts forth the filaments from the 
tubes, and the ants then seem to lick up some moisture 
left by the filaments on the edges of the openings.* The 
larva can extrude the filaments either together or in- 
dependently. Just before pupation the ants seem to tap 
the larva almost continuously, and the latter puts forth the 
filaments frequently and withdraws them more slowly than 
usual. The ants often crowd on the larva when the latter 
is feeding, and it is rarely left unattended for more than a 
few moments, even proceeding to its feeding-ground and 
returning home with ants on its back. 
And thus the larve spend their time till they pupate, 
* Tf the larva at first refuses to oblige the ant, the latter redoubles 
its attentions with its antennz, and strikes on the back of the larva 
with one of its feet. 
TRANS. ENT. SOC. LOND. 1907.—PART Ul. (SEPT.) 17 
