( 50 ) 



eat it. This ant then ran off. The larva meanwhile had 

 been endeavouring to crawl away, but it was firmly anchored 

 to one place by the ant which had seized it. Another ant 

 then came along and seized it by the head and dragged so 

 that it became much extended. Two more ants then seized 

 it at the sides. At this point I was obliged to come away ; 

 but they must have killed the larva, for it was very feeble 

 when I last saw it, and they doubtless ate it." 



This uncompromising treatment of the larva of 0. punctata 

 fa all the more interesting because \Y. M. Wheeler ("Ants, 

 their Structure, Development and Behavior," New York, 

 1910, p. 358) speaks "especially" of (E. smaragdina, when 

 mentioning the 'principal attendants" of Lycaenid larvae. 

 This distinguished authority continues: — 



" CE. smturagdvna in thai country [India] and in Australia, 

 is, in fact, constantly found with many species of the cater- 

 pillars and often keeps them in the silken nests and 

 'cow-sheds' described in a previous chapter." 



A postscript, dated Oct. 9th, to the letter last quoted, 



records that "a motfa larva also lives on the Oboronta plant 

 among the ants. An imago has just come out." Mr. Lam- 

 born furthermore states thai the ants pay do attention to 

 these larvae, which are probably protected against them in 

 some way. Examples of the moth, the Pyralid (Schoenobiinae) 

 civ j 



Obtunpalpit taHuaaHs, Schaus, were exhibited with the 

 Oboronia^ and the flower-head. 



4 arvl 5. — Lycaenesthes larydas, Cram.,/, kerst&ni, Gerst., 

 and L. sylvantu, Drury. 



Bred examples of these two species wen- also shown. 

 Mr. Lamborn had recorded, Oct. 16th, 1911, of ten larvae 

 of In rutins of which only a single specimen survived and 

 produced, on Oct. loth, the exhibited imago — that they had 

 been "carefully attended l»y ants." Of the two eylvemus, 

 emerging Oct. 11th and 12th, he had written in the same 

 letter, " these larvae also were attended by ants : in fact, 

 the presence of a considerable number of ants attracted my 

 attention to them." 



