ENTOMOLOGICAL RAMBLES IN THE MIDLANDS. 231 
positively some of those curious beetles of which we have often heard as: 
inhabiting ants’ nests are here—Dinarda Miirkeli, Atemeles emarginatus, 
Myrmedonia humeralis, and M. canaliculata. Well, we have our revenge 
upon the ants for their keen bitings; but suppose we make other 
reprisals before abandoning them? Let us attack that large nest on the 
right, first tying our sleeves tightly at the wrists, and tucking our 
trousers in our socks, to prevent the ants making unpleasant reprisals 
upon us. Spreading a large sheet of paper on a convenient heather bush 
some distance from the nest, we advance upon the enemy, and boldly 
and quickly plunge our hands into the midst of their citadel, part of 
which we take away and carefully shake over the paper. This operation 
is repeated two or three times, care being of course taken not to destroy 
the nest, and upon reckoning up our captures we find ourselves in 
possession of more Dinarda and Myrmedonia, Megacronus inclinans, 
Thiasophila angulata, Oxypoda formicetorum, Myrmetes piceus, Monotoma 
angusticollis, and hosts of Homalote. From the mouth of one of the ants 
we took a fine specimen of Myrmedonia humeralis, much larger than 
itself, which it appeared to be carrying, with affectionate care, to a place 
of safety. Gladly would we renew the combat, but, remembering that 
*‘ discretion is the better part of valour,” we desist. (To tell the plain 
truth, the ants are too many and too active for us, and we feel compelled 
to retreat!) Upon reaching neutral territory we rest ourselves, pick off 
- the stray ants which persist in following and worrying us, and examine 
by means of our glasses the queer-looking beetles captured from their 
friends, (or enslavers, as the case may be,) and which, but for our inter- 
ference, would probably have passed the rest of their lives in the midst 
of a colony of Formica rufa, in comparative darkness, and surrounded 
with an atmosphere of formic acid. Looking through your glass you 
observe that such of the beetles as are peculiar to ants’ nests, as Dinarda, 
Atemeles, &c., have their armour-plates, so to speak, sculptured in a 
special style, the whole upper surface of the body, especially the thorax 
and elytra, being beautifully chased in such perfection of execution as to 
shame even the most skilful worker in fine gold, who, were he willing, 
might learn valuable art lessons from these obscure and despised insects. 
The questions you naturally ask as to the reason why of these beetles 
being domiciled with the ants are not easily answered. What the 
connection between them is—whether the ants attract the beetles, or the 
beetles fascinate the ants—whether the motives of either or both are 
those of friendliness or self-interest—is at present involved in mystery. 
It has been observed, as we ourselves have seen, that the ants certainly 
manifest some degree of attachment to their guests, and we know that, 
though very destructive to insects generally, they cherish these particular 
species with praiseworthy devotion and care. The subject is one of 
much interest, and the temptation to pursue it almost irresistible, but 
we must choose some other opportunity to speculate upon it. Both time 
and insects fly, and if we stop to talk now we shall soon find the hour of 
departure close upon us, and our entomological sport curtailed. Let us, 
then, now cross the brook and ascend the wooded hill, beating the birches 
and other trees as we go. Here are various species of Rhynchites in 
