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THE ENTOMOLOGIST S BECORD. 



On May 31st, 1908^ 3, 1 observed specimens of C. distincta crawling 

 out of a nest of Formica ritfa at Bewdley, and a number of the Lady- 

 Birds were found to be present about other nests. This was the first 

 record for the Midlands. When publishing a note on this discovery, I 

 stated, " My present view is that these beetles seek the nests of Formica 

 riifa for hibernation, and leave in the spring or early summer." [My 

 subsequent investigations, both in the field and with an observation 

 nest at home, have failed to prove this theory,] 



On July 3rd, 1918, I found, at Weybridge, the larv^ of 0. distincta 

 in some numbers, feeding on Aphids, attended by ants on a fir tree 

 over a, rufa nest. A number, most of them being nearly full grown, 

 were taken home and placed on fir boughs, on v/hich were plenty of 

 Aphids, in my large rufa observation nest. They fed on the plant- 

 lice, and on July 4th two of the larvae had fixed themselves on the 

 muslin over the nest, ready to pupate. One of these turned to a pupa 

 on .July 6th, and the other on July 7th. Others fixed themselves on 

 the pine needles of the boughs, and some on the frame of the nest, 

 and all were in the pupal state by July 9th. The two first to pupate 

 became perfect insects on July 15th, having spent eight and nine days 

 respectively in the pupal state. By July 20th all had reached the 

 imago state. Some of these I set, and the rest I took down to Wey- 

 bridge on my next visit and let loose. I may mention that the ants 

 never paid any attention to the larvae or pupfe. I now determined to 

 try and find out if the Coccinella did hibernate in the ritfa nests. 

 Having planted a small fir tree in my large observation nest, and 

 supplied it with Aphids, I brought up from Weybridge on August 27th, 

 1918, a number of the beetles and established them in my nest. The 

 plant-lice soon died o&, or were devoured by the beetles ; but I found 

 the latter would eat the honey supplied to the ants, often sitting among 

 the ants feeding on the honey. They spent the whole winter on 

 the fir tree and about the nest ; a certain number disappeared, but the 

 rest were present in February, the ants having retired into the sand 

 beneath the debris of the nest long before this, when it first got cold. 

 The nest was kept in a room at the top of the house, with no fire, 

 which of course was very cold during the winter. 



On November l4th all the ants in the ru/a nests at Weybridge had 

 gone to ground for the winter, but, the Lady-Bird was still abundant 

 on the trees over the nests. 



On February 28th, 1919, I went dowH to Weybridge and dug up 

 the rufa nest under the fir tree, where I had found the Coccinella larvffi 

 the year before, which, being in the shade, showed no signs of life, 

 (The ants of another nest, which was in the open, were coming up and 

 massing in the sun at the entrances to the nest.) The ants in the first 

 nest were right below the hillock, in earth chambers, some 2|- feet 

 down, and I found one Lady-Bird with them, dormant, but quite 

 alive. When placed in a box it soon became active. Others were as 

 usual on the trees over the nests. 



On March 1st I dug up my nest at home, but the inost careful 

 search only produced one of the Coccinella, which was with the ants in 

 the sand beneath the hillock of the nest. It would thus appear that 

 a few specimens may hibernate in the nests, but the great number 

 pass the winter in the trees over them. 



The next step was to find the eggs of the insect, when, where, and 



