184 HYMENOPTERA. 



Minas district ; during this time it has been gradually advancing 

 across the country, or rather under the country,, establishing 

 everywhere colonies ; and now, within the last two or three 

 years, it has reached the Organ Mountains, where I found it in 

 two localities. Mr. Heath, the proprietor of Constancia, has 

 used all means to exterminate it, but without the least success : 

 sometimes in a single night it will strip a whole orange or lemon 

 tree of its leaves ; a ditch of water round his garden which quite 

 keeps out all other ants, is of no use : this species carries a mine 

 below its bed without any difficulty, indeed I have been assured 

 again and again by sensible men, that it has undermined, in its 

 progress through the country, the great river Paraiba, as broad 

 as the Thames at London Bridge ; at any rate, without anything 

 like a natural or artificial bridge, it appears on the other side, 

 and continues its course. Its food is principally vegetable 

 leaves of trees and plants. I have seldom, if ever, seen it carry- 

 ing flies, as other ants do, to its burrow always slices of leaf." 



4. CECODOMA ABDOMINALIS. PI. X. fig. 22. B.M. 



Female. Length 10 lines. This species is the same size as 

 cephalotes ; in all the examples examined the wings are paler, 

 the abdomen less pubescent, its first segment longer, and the 

 sides less rounded; in other respects they agree very closely; 

 the present species is, however, usually of a brighter colour, 

 particularly the abdomen, which is redder. Specimens have been 

 received from various parts of South America. In the British 

 Museum are several forms of workers, but which of them belong 

 to this apparently distinct species, it is impossible to ascertain 

 without direct observation of the colonies of the species. 



5. CECODOMA COPTOPHYLLA. B.M. 



Atta coptophylla, Guer. Icon. Reg. Anim. iii. 422. 2 . 

 Formica cephalotes, Pohl fy Kollar, Bras. vorz. last. Ins. p. 15. 



f. 10? 

 Hab. Brazil. 



(). (ECODOMA COLOMBICA. 



Atta Colombica, Guer. Icon. Reg. Anim. 422. 4 . 

 L Columbia. 



7. CECODOMA LEBASII. 



Atta Lebasii, Guer. Icon. Reg. Anim. iii. 422. 5 . 



Hab. Columbia. 



