on some Carnivorous Insects. 327 



away, the ants lessening as it went, and on getting off the 

 open path and passing through some vegetation it suc- 

 ceeded in brushing off most of those that remained. It 

 was greatly incommoded by them, and kept stopping to 

 brush them away with its forelegs from its palpi and 

 antennae. When I finally recovered it, several yards 

 from the ant-column, only three ants were left clinging 

 to it, and it seemed to have been effectively saved by its 

 armour from all injury. The Epilachna, I should have 

 mentioned, was attacked vigorously for a time, and after- 

 wards for a longer period in a desultory fashion. It at first 

 remained adpressed closely to the ground, and the ants 

 plied their mandibles in vain over the glossy surface of the 

 elytra ; then one or two pushed under and turned it over, 

 and it was carried along a few inches. This sort of thing 

 went on for some time — I covild not see that it made use 

 of any juice it may have possessed. In any case, the ants 

 made very little impression on it, and did not shift it very 

 far from its original station. 



At this point, having just captured a passing Acraea 

 neobule (^ and an A. natalica, dull $, I went with them 

 to Column No. 1, and found the last remains of the Zono- 

 cerus disappearing into the drive. I removed a forewing 

 of A. neobule and placed the butterfly amongst the ants. 

 Disabled even to that extent it seemed to have no difficulty 

 in its flutterings in shaking off such as clutched it, and a 

 butterfly of its size, able to fly, would, I have little doubt, 

 experience very little trouble in getting away from a crowd 

 of drivers amongst which it had inadvertently landed. 

 I killed it and replaced it. There was quite the normal 

 amount of juice, but the ants made as short work of it 

 as they had done of Amauris and Danaida, separating the 

 wings from the body and carrying the latter into their 

 tunnel. They then refused, in the same manner as before, 

 to eat the A^nauris larva and the fly, attacked a Mylabris 

 and desisted, then attacked and carried in the Acraea 

 natalica. It too possessed a normal amount of juice, and 

 small drops of this exuded at the nervures when I cut the 

 wings off. 



Returning to Column 2 I found the Mylabris and the 

 Epilachna in the same place. I put down two coffee-bugs 

 {Antestia variegata), a small weevil {Sysfates sp.) common 

 in coffee, and a beetle, Himatismus fasciculosus, Per. The 

 weevil was carried to a drive at once. The bugs caused 



