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discovered that our house ants, a different species from those 

 on the plants, had eaten a hole in the muslin and were 

 swarming over the larvae. I then put two thicknesses of 

 muslin over the box, but the ants again ate it through, and 

 so now, as they do not seem to hurt the larvae, I do not 

 trouble to remove them. The pupae are placed indifferently 

 on upper or unler side of a leaf and frequently head down- 

 wards on a stem, and ants congregate about them during the 

 whole period of pupation. The ants work hard in an en- 

 deavour apparently to cover up the pupae with debris. They 

 heap up little particles of sawdust, larval droppings, etc., 

 round pupae on the floor of the box, and some attempt is 

 even made to cover the pupae on the side walls. I found to- 

 day on the outside of the roof of the box a little collection of 

 debris with which ants were busily covering a fissure in the 

 wood which led through to a pupa on the inner side of the 

 roof. Some larvae have pupated on the floor of the box, but 

 this does not affect the wing-development of the butterflies, 

 for they always seem to find a suitable position in time. I 

 have from time to time lost other butterflies which have not 

 been able to develop properly owing to their pupae having 

 fallen down. By the way, the larvae are usually green, but 



[ci 

 I now have a scarlet one of, I believe, the same species. The 

 pupae are sometimes green and sometimes perfectly grey- 

 coloured." 



3. — Oboronia punctata, Dew. 



The observations on this remarkable species are of special 

 interest — 



'Sept. 1<M, 1911. 



" I made a little discovery to-day which has much delighted 

 me. In accordance with your suggestion I have been investi- 

 gating the contents of ants' nests and to-day found two 

 Lycaenid larvae. I must write about this when I get perfect 

 insects. The particular nest of ants was constructed on the 

 head of a plant [Costus a/er] which had borne numerous bell- 

 shaped flowers. These were eaten down more or less level, 

 and then the ants had piled up earthy-looking vegetable 



