428 PROCEEDINGS OF IHE THIED ENTOMOLOGICAL MEETING 



Aleut ohbus barodensis, Maskell. These, along with those of A. 

 barodensis, are found in the majority of cases almost wholly on the 

 lower surface of sugarcane leaves, but the eggs with the female laying 

 them are very conspicuous objects on the leaves and once seen cannot 

 be forgotten soon. Besides, the presence of eggs and the females laying 

 them are betrayed by the presence of the ants which attend upon them 

 for the sake of the honey-dew. The ants may be seen standing behind 

 the females and tapping them gently with their antennae and these are 

 seen to exude the honey-dew in droplets which are licked up greedily 

 by the ants. The eggmasses are fairly large, either wholly circular or 

 consisting of two crescents meeting each other towards their sharp ends 

 in the centre, thus forming a circular spot. The eggs when laid freshly 

 are shiny pale yellow and 48 hours after being laid they turn dusky 

 yellow, the apices turning dark fuscous brown, ultimately tm-ning deep 

 chocolate brown. They are attached to the surface of leaves by pedun- 

 cles. In a mass of eggs, some are pale yellow whilst others are dark 

 castaneous. The former are freshly laid eggs whilst the latter are at 

 least 48 hours old. The position of the female while laying eggs is 

 very characteristic. She stations herself mostly on the lower surface 

 of a cane leaf, the abdomen is sUghtly raised and the legs stretched out ; 

 the eggs are then laid close to each other on one side — completing either 

 the right or the left side of the circle ; she then wheels round and begins 

 laying eggs on the other side. In this posture she becomes a very 

 conspicuous object on the leaves. The eggs, with the female laying 

 them, and stationed in the centre, become very prominent. The female 

 is so slow in her movements that, even if disturbed whilst laying eggs, 

 she stops for a few minutes and then again begins laying eggs. While 

 doing so, she is attended by the ants, Canifonotus ccinpressi/s, which 

 wait upon her for the sake of the honey-dew. Thus she performs two 

 functions simultaneously. Ste lays eggs and then has to respond to 

 the gentle taps of her ant- attendants for the honey-dew. When, how- 

 ever, the female refuses to exude the honey-dew, the ants get annoyed 

 and remove her to another place to feed. On the 18th July 1907 1 watched 

 the ants attending upon females while laying eggs. An ant which 

 repeatedly tapped the female on the dorsum failed to obtain the required 

 supply of honey-dew. It became irritated, caught hold of the female 

 gently in its mandibles and transported her bodily to another suitable 

 succulent spot in the same leaf. On the 21st July 1907, I found the 

 same female (the female under observation was marked with red on 

 the abdomen to facilitate distinction from other females) resting 7 

 inches down from the spot I had seen her on the previous day, with a 

 number of ants attending upon her. 



