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VI. Notes on three Paussi. By Louis Peringuey. 



[Read February 7th, 1883.] 



Paussus lineatus, Thunherg. 



I first discovered Paussus lineatus amongst a small kind 

 of black ant very numerous on the slopes of Table 

 Mountain. These ants have their nests under stones ; 

 they excavate no galleries, and select those stones which 

 are situated at the foot of a small bush. There seems 

 to be but one class of workers ; the females are 0*1 in. 

 in length, the winged males 0*05 in. 



I mostly found one P. lineatus, sometimes two, only 

 once three, in the same nest. In nearly every instance 

 it was clinging to the under side of the stone, elytra 

 downwards. I first captured five specimens, and with 

 them I collected a number of ants and their larvae. I 

 deposited them in a glass cage, where I could have a 

 good view of them ; but whether the beetles and the 

 ants had been too much shaken in the receptacle I first 

 put them in I cannot say, but three of the Paussi died 

 two days after, and the two that were left no longer 

 crepitated when handled, as they were wont to do when 

 I first captured them. I then procured a new batch of 

 ants from several nests, being under the impression that 

 the Paussidce, like the Clavigeridce, were fed by ants, 

 and I conjectured that the three that died had not been 

 properly attended to by the ants I had enclosed with 

 them in the glass cage. But the increase in the number 

 of ants did not seem to affect them ; they were still 

 very torpid. On the discovery of sixteen more P. lineatus, 

 I added these to my colony, having previously affixed a 

 small bit of putty to the elytra of the first comers. The 

 following day these two ancient individuals seemed to 

 have recovered their energy ; they both proved to be 

 males. Altogether I enclosed twenty-one specimens in 

 the cage, and, with the exception of the first three, all 

 thrived well ; I have twelve of them, apparently females, 

 still alive, after sixty days of captivity. 



My object was to find out if the Paussi were kept in 



TRANS. ENT. SOC. 1883. — PART II. (JUNE.) 



