138 Louis Peringuey's notes on three Paussi. 



the same habits, becoming very lively when exposed to 

 the sun, but not attempting flight. As the ant -larvae did 

 not hatch before the Paussi were mutilated, I could not 

 observe how the minor workers behaved towards them. 

 They were never attacked by the major workers except 

 when they came near the larvae, and never used their 

 crepitating power when thus attacked. 



I have not since been able to get more specimens. 



Paussus Burmeisteri, Westwood. 



This Paussus is much more sluggish than P. lineatus. 

 It crepitates when seized, exuding the same liquid, and 

 then shams death, stiffening its antennae to such an 

 extent as to enable one having hold of them to move 

 it in all directions. I never found two together, and, 

 although I discovered it twice in the nests of the same 

 ant as P. Linnei, I generally found it under stones, 

 where there was no ant's nest within a radius of several 

 yards. 



I once captured one that was being dragged by one 

 major and three minor workers towards a very small colony 

 of ants ; it was simply opposing its force of inertness to 

 the efforts of its would be captors, lying on its back, 

 with its antennae stiffened ; but as soon as I had touched 

 it with a straw it discharged its artillery, stunning, 

 apparently to death, the minor workers, and doubling up 

 the major, who kept on staggering for a very long time. 



Like the two above-mentioned species, when exposed 

 to the sun, it gets lively enough, though in a lesser degree, 

 but I never saw one expanding its wings or trying to fly. 



All my specimens died soon after their capture, and I 

 never saw any in copula. 



I have not been able to detect any sign of phos- 

 phorescence in the antennae of any of my Paussi, al- 

 though frequently examined in the dark. 



P.S. — Since the above notes were written all my 

 Paussus lineatus have died, also the ants. — L. P. 



