324 Mr. C. F. M. Swynnerton's Experiments 



but though the one or two ants in their immediate neigh- 

 bourhood retreated for the fraction of a second they at 

 once closed in again, and, overwhelming the larva, carried 

 it speedily along (a distance of about three feet) into the 

 verandah drive. A hive-bee at this moment came tumbling 

 into the " drivers " from above. It was at once seized 

 by the leg by one of the larger warriors, and remained 

 tumbling over and over and drawing more enemies. I 

 noticed that it extended its sting, but only to have it 

 seized and tightly held by one of the drivers. It was 

 quickly subdued, and when I last saw it was being carried 

 in the direction of one of the drives. I now placed a large 

 Danaida chrysippus in the column, first killing it. The 

 ants at once persistently attacked it, and, having carried 

 it just outside the column, commenced to dismember it. 

 A smooth moth larva with a velvety appearance and con- 

 spicuous black and white bands (AleHsl), not uncommon 

 in the forest, was seized, and after a very great deal of delay 

 carried along to the bank drive, though the ants again 

 refused the Amauris and Acraea larvae. It had been three 

 days in captivity without my having been able to find its 

 food-plant and was undoubtedly weakened — probably in 

 its protective qualities too. A Papilio echerioides (^ was 

 broken up, its wings left lying, and its more material parts 

 carried in sections to a drive. A small Sciarid fly with black 

 wings and a red thorax {Apelmocreagis thoracica. Macq.) 

 had been settled on the ground right amongst the ants, 

 neither taking any notice of them nor drawing an attack. 

 I captured and disabled it and placed it back amongst 

 them, but though numbers, I might say hundreds, in- 

 spected it, often passing their antennae over it, all moved 

 on and no attack whatsoever was made. But an Arctiid 

 moth, Rhodogaslria bubo, was at once attacked and its 

 wings stripped off where it lay. It had unfortunately 

 exhausted its foamy thoracic exudation previously to 

 being placed amongst the ants : this might have made a 

 difference. A Mycalesis campina was at once carried 

 along, as were also a second Danaida chrysippus and a 

 Byblia ilithyia, their wings being stripped oft" en route. 

 It was now an hour and a quarter since the experiment 

 commenced : the Mylabris left in the column was still 

 in the same place uneaten but motionless, and no longer 

 noticed by the ants. On my taking him out he immedi- 

 ately commenced to move about, but dragged three legs 



