8102 



Entomological Society. 



tunately the antennae were broken, so that it was impossible to say whether they were 

 10- or 8-jointed. Of the exhibitions of an economical kind, the best was one in the 

 North Gallery of the French compartment, which had been formed by monks for edu- 

 cational purposes ; there were also among the French exhibitions some magnificent 

 Lepidoptera, including the silk-producing species of Bombyx, of which Mr. Moore 

 had exhibited the cocoon at the last Meeting of the Society. The silk products from 

 India were very well and fully represented. Among the South-Australian collection 

 was a magnificent Astacus in spirits, as large as a good-sized lobster, and with its 

 body covered with spines. Prof. Westwood thought that the bee products were not so 

 well represented as in 1851. 



Mr. W. W. Saunders, in addition to the objects of attraction mentioned by Prof. 

 Westwood, directed the attention of members to the Brazilian collection, and also to 

 the exhibition of the ravages of a species of Botys, which was peculiarly destructive to 

 hemp. 



The President exhibited specimens and magnified drawings of Myrmecocystus 

 mexicanus, and read the following notes thereon : — 



'* I have this evening an opportunity of exhibiting specimens of a very remarkable 

 ant from Mexico— the Myrmecocystus mexicanus of Wesmael, described in the fifth 

 volume of 4 Bulletins de l'Academie de Bruxelles,' 1838. The workers of this singu- 

 lar ant are of two very distinct forms, one being of the ordinary description, like our 

 wood ant (Formica rufa), active, and performing the necessary duties in the formiea- 

 rium ; the other, which is the larger worker, is inactive, and does not quit the nest, 

 their sole purpose apparently being to elaborate a kind of honey, which they are said 

 to discharge into prepared receptacles ; this constitutes the food of the entire popula- 

 tion of the community. In the honey-secreting workers the abdomen is distended into 

 a large globose bladder-like form, much too large for the creatures to drag about with 

 them ; the head, thorax, and basal segment of the abdomen are extremely like the 

 Formica sanguinea. The male and female I have not seen, but they are described as 

 resembling the same sexes of most of our common European ants. The specimens that 

 I now exhibit were sent to me by Dr. Pagenstecher, of Heidelberg : from him I 

 learned that the ants— that is, the honey-secreting individuals — are collected and 

 regularly sold in the markets in Mexico, and that from the honey which is expressed 

 from them a very agreeable liquor or drink is manufactured. In Mexico the ant is 

 called Hormigas mieleras, or moihileras, that is, honey ants, or pouched ants. 



" It will perhaps be in the recollection of members of the Society that I described, 

 in the second volume of the 4 Proceedings of the Linnean Society,' a species of ant 

 which I named Crematogaster inflatus, from the fact of its having a remarkable 

 bladder-like receptacle on the hinder part of the thorax : this receptacle is furnished 

 with a minute aperture at the posterior part on each side ; on opening one of these 

 bladders it was found to contain a crystallized mass, which to the taste resembled 

 sugar. This ant was from Singapore and Borneo. I consider this a more remarkable 

 insect than the Myrmecocystus mexicanus. Many insects are known to elaborate 

 honey or sweet fluids, the Aphides for instance ; but in all previous cases the abdomen 

 has formed the receptacle, whereas in Crematogaster inflatus it is situated on the 

 metalhorax." 



The Secretary read, on behalf of Mr. Newman, the following paper, entitled 



