190 



suspended by its foreleg, eats its prey. This position when eating is a 

 curious habit, independently acquired by several predaceous insects, as 

 Bittacus, Vespa, and certain Asilidce. 



Mr. Malloch has called my attention to British observations made 

 upon the peculiar habits of these flies. Thus Howlett ('07) has shown 

 that the male supplies the female with an insect for food during copu- 

 lation. These observations have been confirmed by Hamm ('08). 

 Poulton ('07) discusses the food habits of these flies in much detail. 



HymenopTERA 



CYNIPIDiE 



Rhodites nebulosus Bassett. (Rose Gall.) 



This gall was taken on a wild rose, Rosa, in the mixed forest and 

 prairie colony east of Charleston (Sta. Ill, b) Aug. 15 (No. 60). 



Braconid^ 



An undetermined species was taken from the flowers of Pycnan- 

 fhemum pilosum in the cleared area with sprout growth bordering the 

 Bates woods (near Sta. IV, a) Aug. 23 (No. 146). 



FOKMICIDiE 



Myrndca rubra Linn., subsp. scabrinodis Nyl., var. sabuleti Meinert. 



This ant was found upon the prairie on flowers of the common 

 milkweed, Asclepias syriaca (Sta. I), Aug. 12 (No. 27). It was asso- 

 ciated with Formica fusca subsericea Say and Pormica pallide-fulva 

 schaufussi incerta Emery. 



Wheeler ('05. pp. 374, 384) regards this as one of the heath ants, 

 which "inhabit rather poor, sandy or gravelly soil exposed to the sun 



and covered with a sparse growth of weeds or grasses It 



nests in sandy or gravelly sunny places such as open pastures, road- 

 sides, etc." These requirements are admirably met by the conditions 

 along the gravelly and sandy road-bed of the railway where the milk- 

 weeds flourish. 



Formica fusca Linn., var. subsericea Say. 



This ant was found on flowers of the goldenrod, Solidago (near 

 Sta. I, c), Aug. II (No. 20); on leaves of the common milkweed 

 (Asclepias syriaca) infested with the plant-louse Aphis asclepiadis 

 Fitch (Sta. I) Aug. 12 (No. 30) and again Aug. 24 (No. 154) ; and 

 in the upland Bates woods (Sta. IV, a) Aug. 26 (No. 163). 



According to Wheeler ('loa, p. 458) this ant is enslaved by For- 

 mica sanguinea Latr. and the following subspecies : aserva Forel, rubi- 



