MYRMECINA. 81 



No Myrmecophiles are known to occur with this ant, though my 

 old friend the late Arthur Chitty suggested that the Proctotrupid 

 Pseudisobrachium subcyaneum Hal., was parasitic on it, as he fre- 

 quently swept them up together. I have also taken a number of 

 Proctotrupids in this way, with the males of the ant, some having 

 black wings like the latter 41 , but it is not certain that they are 

 really associated. The ants do not appear either to keep, or attend, 

 plant-lice or Coccidae. 



Forel 12 states that this species has a faint raspberry-like smell, 

 which is not however always noticeable, this I have not been able 

 to detect although I have kept a small colony under observation 

 since 1910. The following extracts are from my notes : 



May 1st, 1910 a small colony consisting of a dealated female, a 

 certain number of workers, eggs, and young larvae, was found in a 

 hollow flint at Box Hill these were taken home and established in 

 a plaster observation nest. May 8th another smaller colony was 

 taken in a hollow flint in the same locality, and placed with the 

 first colony, but, as before stated, the latter attacked and killed 

 them. July 10th more eggs have been laid, and some pupae are 

 present. July 20th pupae very dark in colour. Ants emerged 

 from all the pupae during August. September 29th many larvae 

 present in a heap in one corner of the nest, the female and workers 

 resting on the heap. January 1st, 1911 all well, the larvae have 

 not grown during the winter. April 1st the larvae are larger. 

 May 4th some more very small larvae noticed. May 16th fresh 

 pupae. May 24th a fresh bunch of eggs and more pupae. July 

 5th a single male hatched. July 23rd more eggs laid. July 27th 

 all pupae have come to maturity ; one worker has the antennae 

 deformed (curled round like horns) it is a pugnacious little ant, 

 but generally sits by itself away from the others. November 16th 

 over fifty larvae present the colony passed the winter quietly 

 and hardly any deaths occurred. June 1st, 1912 pupae again 

 present. July 2nd callows hatched, and fresh bunches of eggs 

 carried by the workers. September 1st some hundred workers 

 present (reared during the two years). December 25th seventy- 

 three workers dead the nest had been allowed to get too dry. 

 January 21st, 1913 the nest again in good condition the queen 

 and the remaining workers well, some eggs and many larvae of all 

 sizes present. February 8th the ants devour some packets of 

 eggs of Formica rufa given to them. March 31st the ants kill and 

 cut up a half -drowned F. rufa worker given to them. May 6th 

 eggs, very small, and nearly full-grown larvae present no ants 

 have died since February. June 16th pupae present. July 10th 

 more pupae, some nearly adult in colour. September 1st all 

 pupae have hatched, many larvae present, only six dead ants. In 

 1914 a large number of workers were reared. The nest is still under 

 observation. 



