( V ) 



given the further name of suhtrifasciata to another example. 

 This latter specimen, together with Hope's types of cyanura 

 and signaticollis, were exhibited to the meeting. Prof. Poulton 

 thought it was likely that the conclusive evidence now obtained 

 by Mr. Giles would lead to the correct understanding of other 

 species of Buprestidae with sexes of very different patterns. 



The African ant Megaponera foetens, F., and its raids 

 UPON Termites. — Prof. Poulton said that he had recently 

 received notes upon the habits of this ant from three different 

 observers. The first was contained in a letter written from 

 Aberdeen on September 24, 1914, by Mr. C. 0. Farquharson. 



" I had to do a month's overtime on the Coast which caused 

 me to miss Dr. Lamborn. I spent the last month at Agege, 

 near Lagos, a good district, but my time there was rather short. 

 I got some nice ants, however, which I am not sure that I 

 have heard Dr. Lamborn describe — large black ones nearly as 

 big as our so-called ' Stink-ants ' (Palfothyreus), which indeed 

 I once thought they were. They go however in an ' army,' 

 and on their forays seem to specialise on Termites. I have 

 seen them on their return from the war carrying the large and 

 fierce soldiers of the Termites. To me their most curious 

 feature was their habit of hissing when disturbed. Even at 

 the sound of my voice as I bent over their line of march, they 

 would scatter with quite a loud hissing. I traced them to their 

 nest, but failed to find any sign of a queen. My time was, 

 however, unfortunately very limited and they were exception- 

 ally fierce — Huns, in fact, among the ants." 



Shortly after the date of the above letter Mr. Farquharson 

 visited Oxford, and brought the specimens of the ants and their 

 prey which were exhibited to the meeting. 



The second letter was written by Dr. G. D. Hale Carpenter 

 in Nov., 1914 :— 



" I am writing now from Kyaka Fort, in German territory, 

 30 miles S. of the Uganda frontier on the S. bank of the 

 Kagera River. In order to obtain a defensible position we 

 have occupied a piece of German territory lying south of the 

 actual frontier which lies across open plain and is quite im- 

 possible as a line of defence. The Kagera River is a natural 

 barrier and only passable at certain places, one of which is 



