94 FUNAFUTI ATOLL. 



Head, forehead, and cheeks black, clothed with cinerous 

 pubescence ; head closely and finely punctured ; occilli promi- 

 nent ; antennae black ; labrum black, closely arid finely punctured; 

 ligula and mouth parts ferruginous. Thorax black, finely and 

 closely punctured, sparingly clothed with cinerous pubescence. 

 Abdomen cordate, dorsal surface black, segments fringed with 

 short black hairs ; anterior extremity sparingly furnished with 

 short cinerous pubescence, and posterior extremity with black ; 

 sides clothed with ferruginous pubescence ; ventral surface black, 

 clothed with long reddish hairs, except at posterior extremity 

 where the hairs are shorter and black. Breast black, finely and 

 closely punctured ; a few short cinerous hairs are distributed 

 over its surface. Legs black ; coxae and underside of each 

 ambulatory limb clothed with short cinerous hairs ; underside of 

 tibiae and tarsi ferruginous. Wings dark fuscous ; veins and 

 nervures black. 



Two specimens. 



I have very great pleasure in dedicating this species to my 

 esteemed friend and colleague, Mr. Charles Hedley. 



FAMILY FORMICID^. 

 Pheldole sexspinosa, Mayr Twelve specimens, all workers. 



Dr, Gustav. Mayr described the g and worker of this species 

 in a paper entitled "Neue.Formiciden,"* and recorded it "Auf 

 den Ellice-Inseln in grossen Ocean, vom Museum Godeffroy." To 

 his description he appended a note which may be of interest to 

 students, and of which the following is a translation : 



" The genus founded by Mr. Smith, and for which he proposed 

 the name Pheidoxlacanthinus, would appear to suit the above 

 species, but there is a difference in the structure of the antennae. 

 The one named by Mr. Smith has eleven joints, while the 

 antennae of Pheidole sexspinosa has twelve joints." 



In Mr. Hedley's memoranda I read the following : " Several 

 ants occurred in the area of sandy soil near the cultivation 

 grounds, one with a metallic colour could inflict an unpleasant 

 bite upon bare feet." Mr. Woodford says of the Gilbert Islands : 

 " Three or four species of small ants were common on all the 

 islands, and the firewood taken on board at several places swarmed 

 with them."f 



* Verb. K.K. Zool.-bot. Ges. Wien, xx., 1870, pp. 978-9. 

 t Geogr. Journ., vi., -1, 1895, p. 348. 



