196 



House Ants of Mexico. 



House ants, or, as they are called, Hormiga asqueles, are the house scavengers. 

 They make occasional visits to the buildings to eat the insects that bore into the 

 wood. Previous to one of these visits the furniture of a room will be strewn with 

 particles that fall from the ceiling above ; after one of the periodical visits for some 

 time that ceases. 



While stopping at the Hotel Bola de Oro at Tepic, suddenly one afternoon late 

 these insects came in countless numbers. They assailed the dining room so that sup- 

 per had to be taken outdoors. Next morning my room was covered with them ; 

 they swarmed over the roof, the walls, floor, and into every sheet of paper with or 

 without botanical specimens. For two days they were masters of the situation. If 

 I sat down to change dryers or whatever else, they swarmed over me to so great an 

 extent, biting so furiously, that I quit the room. The second day they disappeared 

 to overhaul the rest of the building. 



For fear they might make lodgment among the botanical specimens I instituted 

 search, and found among the dried plants of one sheet the ants that are in the 

 accompanying bottle. They were all dead. What produced death I can not say. — 

 [Edward Palmer, Tepic, Mexico. 



Note. — The specimens which accompanied this communication belonged to a new 

 species of the genus Eciton not represented in the National Collection, and which 

 can not be determined by' any of the works on Formicidie in Washington. 



The Stony Acorn Gall. 



Yoxi have described a gall or galls on acorns — did you ever find any in the nut ? I 

 came across two examples last autumii in which the cotyledons were pitted with the 

 small cells of some Cynipid, but in spite of all care I failed to get the flies. I in- 

 close parts of the infested nuts. — [Mary E. Murtfeldt, Missouri, September 17, 1892. 



Reply. — This gall iu acorns has been known for a good many years, original speci- 

 mens having been received by Dr. Riley from Thomas Meehan in 1872. Later Mr. 

 H. G. Hubbard found it at Detroit, Mich., in 1875, and what is probably the same 

 thing was recently i-eceived from Mr. Koebele at Alameda, Cal. The species has not 

 been described, although a few of the flies have been obtained. They bear his manu- 

 script name of CaH(>/iy/es/?-Mtico/tt in the collection. It is peculiar in the fact that the 

 entire interior of the acorn is filled with the Cynipid cells, the walls of which are ex- 

 tremely hard.— [September 29, 1892]. 



Destructive Appearance of the Roller "Worm. 



Can you give me any information on what are called roll worms ? The moth seems 

 to lay the eggs on the uuder side of the leaves of all kinds of beans, which hatch into 

 a worm that rolls the leaf around itself. They are very destructive, especially to all 

 members of the bean family. If you know of any method of checking them I shall 

 be deeply obliged to learn of it. — [C. G. Philips, Dade County, Fla., September 19, 

 1892. 



Reply. — * * * The " Roller worm " which you mentioned is the larva of a com- 

 mon butterfly known as Eudamus proteus. In spite of the fact that the caterpillars 

 feed in the folded leaf the majority may be killed with Paris green or London purple 

 applied in the proportion of one-fourth pound of the poison to fifty gallons of water. 

 In a small garden, however, the best plan is to go through with a pair of shears 

 clipping through the middle of each leaf roll and thus destroying the larva. In the 

 Annual Report of this Department for 1879 will be found an account of this insect 

 on pages 269. 270. It is also injurious to turnips and cabbages. — [October 1, 1892.] 



