( cxci ) 



transmitted to them from $ ancestors, just as Bomhus and 

 A2)is ^ ^ have assumed to a certain extent the leg-characters 

 originally developed in their ? $. 



But this will not explain the winglessness of certain $ Ants, 

 viz. the I'are and curious parasitic Genera Anergates and 

 Formicoxenus, and also (as Mr. Donisthorpe informs me) one 

 species of the industrious Genus Ponera ; for in all these the 

 Queens (or fertile Females) are winged, and this is the case 

 with all Queen-Ants except those of Doi'ylus — at least all are 

 horn winged, though after the marriage-Jlight they actually 

 break off and disencumber themselves of the wings which 

 thenceforward are useless to them. Supposing that in a few 

 anomalous Genera like Anergates, etc., there is no marriage- 

 flight, this might account for the c^ $ being apterous, for it 

 seems to be only on that occasion that Ants require wings at 

 all ; but then one would expect the ? 5 to be apterous like- 

 wise (unless indeed the latter were much larger than their 

 partners, which does not seem to be the case — at any rate 

 Andre describes Anergates $ as being of the same size as the 

 ? !). I know, however, so little about the real habits of these 

 insects, that it is useless for me to discuss the matter further. 

 The first certain captures of Anergates in this country were 

 made only last year by two of our Fellows, Messrs. Crawley 

 and Donisthorpe, who met with them in the New Forest, and 

 I am glad to have the opportunity of calling attention to this 

 exceedingly interesting discovery.* 



I come now to Co/oiw-characters and first those of the 

 integument. Here a distinction may frequently be drawn 

 between (a) a darker ground-colour which, except in a few 

 metallically-coloured species (blue, green, violet, etc.) and in 

 some very pale southern forms, is either black (or at least 

 fuscous) throughout, or a combination of red and black, the 

 former colour occurring chiefly in the form of a more or less 

 variable broad band or belt across the abdomen ; and (h) 

 certain bright markings of white or yellow, which diversify 

 and as it were encroach upon the ground-colour, and are 

 often called in descriptions the pictura Jlava vel albida. 

 These may either occupy a whole segment, or other definite 

 * See Mr. Crawley'a note in the Entom. Record, Sept. 1912, p. 218. 

 PROO. ENT. son. LOND., V. 1912 N 



