on some Carnivorous Insects. 337 



e. g., Epilachna and the larvae of Acraeinae, of Danainae 

 and of certain other butterflies. This, on such general 

 considerations as I have alluded to above, is only what 

 one might expect. What, on those same considerations, 

 one would not expect is that Zonocerus and Rhodogastria, 

 both far more sluggish and apparently helpless than any 

 of our Danainae, etc., should have been as readily accepted 

 by the drivers, and placed slightly above the Danainae and 

 Acraea areca by my birds. 



2. Experiments with Insects' Eggs 



April 28th, 1913.^ — A horde of the driver-ants had 

 retired in the evening into their " drive," but at every 

 opening there were warriors standing sentry with up- 

 raised open jaws, and a few ants were walking about 

 aimlessly or resting. I put down four eggs of Acraea 

 caldarena attached, as laid, to a small scrap of Wormskioldia 

 leaf. They were closely inspected by several ants, but 

 no attempt was made to take them. I then added an egg 

 of Papilio dardanus $ f. hippocoon. This attracted less 

 attention : one warrior took it listlessly in his immense 

 mandibles and, as I found afterwards, must have used just 

 enough force to separate it from its leaf (Teclea), then left 

 it without having damaged it. An egg of Pseudacraea 

 lucretia var. expansa was also ignored. 



April 29th. — This morning I visited an active column of 

 Dorylus. The ants were keeping to their narrow-column 

 formation and travelling rapidly, mostly in the same direc- 

 tion. I put down three eggs of Acraea aglaonice. These 

 were examined by many ants but not attacked, and soon 

 became shifted to the side of the column, amongst the 

 guards. I then put down two eggs of Pyrameis cardui. 

 The ants took absolutely no notice of these, merely scurry- 

 ing over them, and they too had soon found their way to 

 the side. A P. hippocoon'a egg followed. It remained 

 unheeded too, but it formed a good-sized obstacle, and 

 soon a passing ant picked it up and deposited it outside, 

 then returned to the column without it. Two more eggs 

 of P. cardui followed the example of the first two. All 

 eggs in this experiment had been separated from their 

 leaf before being offered. Were the eggs all definitely 

 unacceptable to the ants ? Were they too small to be 

 worthy of notice ? Were the ants too busy otherwise 



TRANS. ENT. SOC. LOND. 1915. — PARTS III, IV. (JUNE) Z 



