Vol. xxiii] ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS. 243 
He found that the average height of the cones in the grass 
on the prairies was about nine inches, those in an alfalfa field 
in Ellis County being about four inches high. The size of the 
clearings varies also. “The clearings surrounding the nests lo- 
cated in the buffalo grass averaged nine feet; those in the Rus- 
sian thistles, eleven feet; those in an alfalfa field, thirteen to 
fourteen feet.” From these data it would seem that the extent 
of the clearings was greatest where the material to be eradi- 
cated could be handled with the greatest facility, and of smaller 
diameter in those localities where the clearings could be ef- 
fected with difficulty. 
The openings to the cones may be single, or rarely several. 
Although Mr. Dean states: “There is no uniformity in regard 
to the direction of the gates. However, the tendency seems to 
be to the East, Southeast and South,” we have found that in 
the many nests examined, by far the larger per cent. have their 
openings well down on the southeast side, or more toward the 
east. It might, therefore, be possible that the ants are affected 
here by some heliotropic influence, which would induce them 
to construct the openings to their nests in a position where the 
sunlight would fall. 
Several nuptial flights of Pogonomyrmex occidentalis were 
observed in Wallace and Wichita Counties in August during 
the afternoon when the warm damp weather brought them out 
by the hundreds. It was very disagreeable to encounter a 
swarm of these insects which alighted on us by the dozens and 
crawled about our heads in the most aggravating manner. 
The queens appeared to be in the minority and one was fre- 
quently the center of a ball made up of frantic males, while 
the workers ran about, tugging and biting in their excitement. 
Several queens were observed each attempting to found a new 
colony. Each excavated a hole and piled the soil some little 
distance away from the burrow. 
A few nests of this species were treated with carbon bisul- 
phide to the extent of from one to two and a half tablespoon- 
fuls to each nest. The liquid was either poured down the 
highest aperture, or the top of the hill was scooped off until a 
