ANT-GUESTS. 401 



congerenSy and F. rufa; but Dr. "Wasmann, like V, 

 Hagen and Fore), has never found it except with F, 

 sanguinea. It is fed by the ants in the same manner 

 as AiemeleSy and has very similar bundles of golden 

 hairs on the abdomen, which are licked by the ants 

 like those of Ateweles. While, however, the ants seem 

 to communicate with the Atemeles mainly by means of 

 the antennae, in the case of Lomechusa the parts of 

 the mouth are brought more into play. He has found 

 Lomechusa in the ants' nests up to the end of June. 



Dinarda dentata is a still more frequent inmate in 

 the nests of F. sanguinea, but plays a very different 

 part. The ants seem indifferent to them, and when 

 they take any notice it is of an unfriendly character. 

 Nor can this be wondered at, for according to M. 

 Wasmann the principal food of the Dinardas consists 

 of any ant which may chance to die, or any other 

 weak insect which falls in their way. The ants seem 

 thoroughly to distrust them, and it is curious that they 

 should be tolerated. Grimm, indeed, thought he had 

 seen ants licking the Dinardas, as they do Atemeiea 

 and Lomechusa. Wasmann, however, considers that 

 this was a mistake ; at any rate he has never seen 

 anything of the kind. If an ant meets a Dinarda she 

 either treats it with indifference or threatens the beetle 

 with her jaws, and the Dinarda then raises its abdo- 

 men, which appears always to drive away the ant. It 

 is possible that the Dinarda has the power of pro- 

 ducing an odour distressing to the ants, or perhaps 

 they eject poison like the Formicas themselves. They 

 seem always to remain in the nests of the ants, and 

 pass through their transformation in them. Formica 

 sanguinea, like F. rufa and F. congerens, changes its 

 nest periodically twice a year; such, at least, is said to 

 be the case on the continent ; I am not aware whethei* 

 the same habit has been observed in this country. The 

 summer nests are looser and opener, the winter ones 



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