4 THE entomo]^ogist's kecord. 



were laid, however, and on July 7th only a few eggs. were to be seen. 

 The <;^ ^ evidently devoured them, as on August 1st (on my return 

 home from the New Forest) neither eggs nor brood of any kind were 

 to be seen. The 2 remains swollen and is surrounded by a large 

 court of ^ ^ ; but no more eggs have been noticed. Both the Ampho- 

 Us, which have lived in the nest for over two years and six months, are 

 alive and well to-day. 



[I may mention that the following Acari occurred on the umbratus 

 ^ ^ • Cillibano comata Leon, on gasters of some ^ ^ ; Urodiscella 

 pMloctena Janet, on the strigils ; Antennophorus uhlmanni Hall, on 

 the chin ; and Uropolyaspis hamnliferus Berl., on the femora. I am in- 

 debted to the Rev. J. E, Hull for the name of the last species. It is 

 the mite I have previously recorded as Jjropoda ovalis Kram., having 

 been misled by Janet's description and figure [Ent. Rec. 23, 63 (1911), 

 2i, 38 (1912)]. I took it first at Weybridge, in 1910, and subse- 

 quently at Woking, always with-^. (C.) umbratus, and always fastened 

 to the femora of the ants.] 



It is a curious fact that A. [D.) fuliginosiis is very rare in the New 

 Forest. One would expect that such a locality, with its numbers of 

 large old trees and stumps, would be an ideal spot for this ant ; such, 

 however, is not the case. The late G. R. Waterhouse recorded a colony 

 at Brockenhurst, in 1856, and Dr. Sharp tells me he knew of one once, 

 which disappeared some time ago. I have always been on the look out 

 for it, but it was not until this year that I ever found it there. On 

 July 17th I noticed ^ ^ of fidiginosus running along in files on the 

 fence, just near the bridge above the railway at Beaulieu Road. On 

 looking more closely, I found this was a most interesting mixed colony, 

 as ^ ^ ol A. (C.) vrixtiis were walking along with the fuliginosiis ^ ^, 

 and I subsequently found that the colony consisted of f of the fuligi- 

 nos'us to -J of the mixtus. \A. {C.) mixtus has not been recorded from 

 Hampshire before.] The two species were quite friendly together, 

 tapping antennae and saluting each other when they met on the tracks, 

 and also when placed together in small tubes. I found that the tracks 

 led right down the brickwork of the bridge to the ground beside the 

 line. It was really a beautiful sight, when the sun was shining, to see 

 the jet black fidiginosus and yellow mixtus marching in files up and 

 down the wall of the bridge and saluting each other when they met. 

 As mixtus is very subterranean in its habits, it must have learnt from 

 the fidiginosus to march in files in the open. The tracks also led to 

 and from a thick bramble grove growing by the side of a fence along 

 the buttress of the bridge, and here the nest was evidently situated. I 

 was unable to dig up the nest, as it would have caused the destruction 

 of the fence, which was in a rather dilapidated condition. As it was, 

 the railway people evidently thought I wished to blow up the bridge, 

 as I was always digging under and round about it, in search of the 

 nest. I found both species entering holes in the larger posts of this 

 fence, which were surrounded by the brambles. A large red Coccid — 

 Leucaniinn persicae, occurred in some numbers on the bramble 

 stems, which no doubt attracted the ants. This was evidently a case 

 where a fuliginosus 9 had founded her colony in a nest of mixtus. It 

 was a pity I was unable to get at the nest itself to prove if only a fuli- 

 ginosus $ was present, or whether a mixtns J also occurred ; though 

 I do not think the latter supposition probable. 



