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



emerged, ten yards away, four or five of the bugs lying 

 abandoned though continually passed by the ants. At 

 the spot experimented at yesterday the 20-30 bugs are 

 still lying untouched, though a large stream of ants is 

 passing them. I put in a Rhodogastria bubo, just captured 

 and commencing to exude froth. It was at once seized 

 by the legs and commenced to froth most lavishly; but 

 though the froth certainly discommoded such ants as 

 came into contact with it, it was confined to the thoracic 

 region, and the rest of the moth was quickly covered with 

 its enemies. Also, in its struggles, the mass of froth was 

 quickly knocked off and no more w^as forthcoming. I 

 rescued it at this point and had to pick a large number of 

 drivers from its legs. 



On the coffee-girls bringing in their daily kill of bugs 

 {Antestia variegata) again this evening, I placed a few in 

 the ant-column close to where the remains of yesterday's 

 still remained untouched; also an EpUachna hirta, just 

 captured. The latter only was attacked, but never 

 seriously, and was twice allowed to escape. I noted that 

 such ants as came into contact with the protective fluid 

 drew back shghtly, but I also noted once more their failure 

 to grasp or pierce its glossy elytra with their jaws. It 

 w^ould be interesting to see whether the fluid without the 

 glossy hardness of the beetle's exterior would be a sufficient 

 protection. 



On, I think, the following day — April 28th — I found 

 large numbers of Antestia thrown out of the drive, at the 

 mouth of which four or five were lying on the 27th. None 

 of the beetles taken wth them had been thrown out. 



May 12th, 1911. — A column of Dorylus was busily ex- 

 ploring the recesses of an old post to-day, and dragging 

 out thence the larvae of wood-boring Hymenoptera. I 

 placed in their midst eighteen full-fed cattle-ticks {Rhipi- 

 cephalus, sp.). They were at once smothered in masses 

 of the ants, but fifteen minutes later, though still lying 

 in the midst of the column, they had been abandoned 

 completel}^. They were apparently undamaged. One 

 of my ground-hornbills {Biicorax cajfer) stalking along 

 shortly afterwards ate them all, but took no notice of the 

 drivers. 



Yesterday when I was cutting up a sheep, and thro\ving 

 an occasional waste bit to the hornbills {Bucorax cajfer), 

 I threw one such piece into the midst of a column of 



