Professor Ilecr's original aeeouiit of the habits of our spe- 

 cies, for which he used the name (Eropliflioni pusiUa Tleer. 

 For eoniph^te transhition, see the next i)aper. 



185G. Ileer, O. — On the house ant of Madeir:! Trans- 

 lated from the original by Lowe, R. T. Ann. and ]\rag Xat. 

 Hist. 2d ser. XVII, 209-224 and 322-333, 1 PI. 



The author states that these ants were found o;i the vdiole 

 south side of the Island of Madeira, u]) to a heigh: cf 1,000 

 feet, in countless numbers, especially in hot, sunny ])laces. 

 They were under practically every stone, and there was hardly 

 a house that did not harbor millions of them. 



They were said to show little ])reference as to kinds of 

 food attacked in houses; going after sweets (sugar, honey, 

 syru]), ])res('rved fruits) ; but not less also fresh fleshy fruits 

 of all kinds. They seemed to prefer flesh to vegetable sub- 

 stances. Paw and boiled meat was eagerly sought by them ; 

 but insects were very decidedly preferred. Great trouble was 

 experienced in guarding the collections of insects from them. 

 The author remarks that they did not, however, seek after 

 dead insects only, but attacked also the living. He notes 

 their attack u])on flies, termites, grasshoppers and even 

 the destruction of the cochineal insects, and, members of their 

 o\\^l family. In these attacks upon large living-insects, it was 

 noted that the soldiers were never the ones to make the original 

 assault, but only entered in after the first seizure by workers. 

 The soldiers, however, rendered efficient aid in cutting off 

 wings and legs of the larger insects, and in breaking them up 

 into bits which were easily carried by the workers. 



1869. IJrown. F. II. — Some observations on the fauna of 

 Madeira. Proc. Post. Soc. Xat. Hist. XII, 211. 



"A very troublesome little ant, abounds in the houses of 

 Madeira, and is supposed to be peculiar to the island. It has 

 received the name (Ecophfhora pusiJla from Prof. Ileer, who 

 has written an account of this little aninuil." 



1S80. Blackburn, T., and Kirby, W. F. — Xotes on species 

 of aculeate Hymeno])tera occurring in the Hawaiian Islands. 

 Ent. Mo. Maff. XV 11, 89. 



