220 INSECT CALENDAR. 



great doubts upon this subject, found that some of them, after 

 having left the males, fell on to the ground in out-of-the-way 

 places, whence they could not possibly return to the original 

 nest!' We unfortunately did not note the sex of those indi- 

 viduals that we intercepted in their return ( ?) trip ; but we can 

 not help expressing our belief that, at least in this case, there 

 was scarcely an appreciable amount of 'returning' on the part of 

 those whose exodus we have just described ; although so many 

 were caught by the nearer trees and shrubbery. Is it probable 

 that these insects could find their way to a small underground 

 nest, where there was no * travel' in the vicinity, other than the 

 steady departure of individuals, who, like themselves, were ter- 

 ribly bothered with the wings they were carrying about with 

 them?*' (American Naturalist.) 



We have noticed that those females that do not return to the 

 old nest found new ones. In Maine and Massachusetts we have 

 for several successive years noticed the swarming of certain 

 species of ants during an unusually warm and sultry day early 

 in September. 



The autumnal brood of Plant lice now occur in great numbers 

 on various plants. The last brood, however, .does not consist 

 exclusively of males and females, for of some of the wingless 

 individuals previously supposed to be perfect insects of both 

 sexes, Dr. W. I. Burnett found that many were in reality of the 

 ordinary gemmiparous form, such as those composing the early 

 summer broods. 



The White Pine Plant lice (Lachnus strobi) may be seen lay- 

 ing their long string of black oval eggs on the needles of the 

 pine. They are accompanied by hosts of two-winged flies, 

 Ichneumons, and in the night by many moths which feed on the 

 Aphis-honey they secrete, and which drops upon the leaves 

 beneath. 



