Visit to the Diggings, 



5911 



wings projected beyond the costal margin of the fore wings, as in 

 Gastropacha Quercifolia, and the wonderful fringe of cilia could be 

 seen to great advantage. I saw about half a dozen specimens of this 

 novelty on the same evening, but never saw it before nor since, as 

 many ants were prowling up and down the tree, seeking what they 

 might devour; and it occurred to me that this motion might be em- 

 ployed perhaps in connexion with the wonderful cilia, as a means of 

 obtaining information of one of these deadly enemies : the fringe, 

 however beautiful in structure and extraordinary in length and situa- 

 tion, has doubtless its peculiar object in the economy of the creature. 



And now that I have ants in my mind 1 must have my say about 

 them also. They are the most common insects in Australia, being 

 absolutely everywhere. I have seen in Australia the largest and the 

 smallest ants that I have ever met with : the largest are fully an inch 

 in length, and furnished with the most formidable mandible; their 

 bite is severe and most painful. I was told before I left England to 

 search the ants' nests of Australia for Clavigers and other myrmeco- 

 philous beetles : I tried the experiment once, but was compelled to 

 retire before the thousands of active and coui'ageous insects rendered 

 furious by an invasion of their home. " Ah ! " thought I to myself, 

 " if Sam Stevens wants Australian Clavigers he had better come here 

 and hunt for them himself." If you stop even for a minute to look 

 over the bark of a tree, ten to one but the ants run up your boots and 

 trowsers in the most aggravating manner, for their homes are almost 

 invariably at the foot of trees. They are excessively pugnacious, and 

 jealous of an intruder on their territories. I have often seen one qui- 

 etly descending a tree, when, on coming nearer than he approved, he 

 would stand out horizontally from the trunk, clinging by his hind legs 

 only, and in this position would snap at me with his huge mandibles, 

 and spar at me with his fore legs just like a pugilist. They are real 

 plucky creatures, and seem to have sense and discrimination, for al- 

 though they walked about my tent by hundreds, and ran over my face 

 day and night, they never molested me while there. Sugar is the 

 great attraction to them. I kept mine in a tin box, and, despite my 

 care in keeping it covered, they would sometimes get at it and have a 

 rare feast, but on my entering the tent they would scamper oflf in all 

 directions, as though self-convicted plunderers. I said then, and be- 

 lieve it now, that these ants knew me, and kne\\ that the tent belonged 

 to me. If bees know their master, why should not ants know a 

 particular individual ? They knew they were not at home ; they 



