( *eili *) 
The following observations, recorded in the same letter, 
show that all ants are not equally benevolent in their treat- 
ment of the Oboronias— 
“On Oct. 5th I obtained a half-grown larva of Oboronia 
punctata and placed it on a stem on which ‘tree driver’ 
ants [evidently O¢ecophylla smaragdina, F., race longinoda, 
Latr.] were running up and down. The first driver that 
came along investigated it hurriedly with his antennae and 
then gripped its anal extremity in his jaws and held on. 
More ants came down. Some passed on without noticing the 
larva, others just touched it with their antennae and then 
went on. Seven or eight thus passed it by, and the next ant 
stood over its hind extremity and discovered on the dorsal 
aspect of, I think, the second segment some material which it 
ate. I actually saw it take up the semi-solid material and 
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 O. punctata 
is all the more interesting because W. M. Wheeler (“ Ants, 
their Structure, Development and Behavior,’ New York, 
1910, p. 358) speaks “especially” of @. smaragdina, when 
mentioning the “principal attendants” of Lycaenid larvae. 
This distinguished authority continues :— 
“(. smaragdina in that 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 moth larva also lives on the Oboronia plant 
among the ants. An imago has just come out.” Mr. Lam- 
born furthermore states that the ants pay no attention to 
these larvae, which are probably protected against them in 
some way. Examples of the moth, the Pyralid (Schoenobiinae) 
