OUR ANTS. 181 



brings home the grain unthreshed, and, in this form, it is taken into 

 the nest, from whence the chaff is brought out, and deposited round 

 the entrance, or, where the force of a prevalent wind is felt, in a 

 heap to leeward. The normal nest of Holcomyrmex is on the typical 

 plan ; she, however, adapting herself easily to circumstances. There is 

 a note on this species in Mr. Rothney's paper, under the name of 

 H. indicus* Mr. Rothney considers this species as the ' harvester ' 

 •par excellence, and to some extent she deserves the title for her ingenuity 

 in saving time by methodical labour. She cannot, I think, compare 

 with Pheidole in results achieved ; she is handicapped by her shape, 

 her huge head, long body, and short legs rendering cross country 

 work most difficult for her ; indeed, it is possibly these disabilities 

 which have driven her to evolve road- making to enable her to hold 

 her own in the struggle for existence. 



Mr. Eothney, writing to me on this subject, says: — "In the 

 " Calcutta District Pheidole is but poorly represented, and I have not 

 "met with any harvesting instincts worthy of the name, while 

 " Holcomyrmex is a great ' harvester,' but, removed from the compe- 

 "tition of Pheidole, does not work quite so systematically in the way 

 *'of 'walks' or 'tracks' as she seems to do on the Bombay side." 

 During breaks in the rains Holcomyrmex brings her stores of grain 

 to the surface, evidently to dry : I have never seen any Pheidole 

 do this. 



126. H. criniceps (Mayr). 



Poena Districts (11-6-90, 6, 9). 



Thana Districts F. Gleadow (Xmas, 90, c? , $ ) 



Ceylon Major Yerbury (a variety). 



Madras G. A. J. Rothney. 



This species I have only found round about Poena. 

 In nesting and habits it does not differ from H. scabriceps. I took 

 the sexes 'swarming' in June. 



127. H. criniceps (Mayr); race nigra (Forel MS.). 

 Poena Districts (30-4-90, $ ). 



This is the common form on the Poona Ghats, where alone I have 

 taken it. Curiously enough it is there associated not with H. criniceps 



* NoTB. — This error of nomenclature was due to the late Frederick Smith, but was 

 corrected in the Transactions of the En torn. Society of London, 1889, Part V. 



