28o 



ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS. 



[Nov., '02 



possible, with another bird. However, it is certaiuly interest- 

 ing that this observation should bear out so nicely the behavior 

 of the mouse on the coast island of Texas. 



I have quite recently noticed our common black ant unceri- 

 moniously fastening its jaws into and dragging away a crushed 

 but scarcel}' dead Chrysopa, the odor of which is certainly vile 

 enough to disgust almost anything. Incidentally^ I saw at the 

 same time several Ciciyidela vulgaris rush upon these same ants 

 and seize them, but did not so far, as I could observe, kill them. 

 This is the species of ant, however, that is mimicked by the 

 Capsid, Pilophoriis amccnus, and might have been inedible for 

 the beetle, as smaller ants running about among them were 

 certainly caught and eaten by the tiger beetles. This tragedy 

 of the ants, Chrysopa and Cicindela, took place on the brick 

 walk bordering a busy street, where people were continually 

 passing to and fro, frequently interruping the insects and crush- 

 ing them under foot. It was an isolated observation and I 

 wondered at the time if such things were usual, or whether I 

 had happened upon an exception to the rule, for I have long 

 ago learned that there is very much that goes on among even 

 our most common insects that the entomologist does not .see. 

 Just why, may be as much of a psychological as an entomologi- 

 cal problem, for once observed there is very often no difficulty 

 experienced in observing the same actions afterwards. So, 

 then, the three questions, when observing insects being at- 

 tacked by bea.sts, birds or each other, or, seemingly being dis- 

 tasteful to one or all of these, are as follows : is it a case of 

 individual variation of ta.ste, or is it usual, or has this been 

 going on about me for years and been overlooked by myself 

 and others? The moral would be, then, that clo.se observa- 

 tions are always in order, even though having little value in 

 themselves, as they may contain the key that is to solve the 

 mystery of some other similar phenomenon, that .some one else 

 has observed, perhaps in another part of the world. Too 

 much stress could be placed on a .single observation, or those 

 made on a single individual, but these may be taken as in- 

 dicating what may possibly be found true of larger numbers 

 on much extended investigations. 



