THE YOUNG NATURALIST. 



191 



BRITISH ANTS— By G. C. BIQNELL. 



(Continued from page 175.) 

 of antennae rather pale, entire insect covered 

 with a fine grey pubescence, and with 

 scattered, fine, erect hairs; head slightly 

 narrower than the thorax ; wings white ; 

 scale of the petiole somewhat truncate 

 above and very slightly emarginate ; scape 

 of the antennae and tibiae with fine erect hairs. 



Female very much larger than the male 

 or worker, similar in colour, but with the 

 mandibles, legs and scape of antennae pale 

 testaceous brown ; head much narrower 

 than the thorax ; wings white and iridescent, 

 nervures pale ; abdomen large and oval, 

 densely covered withafine silky pubescence, 

 and with short, semi-erect brownish hairs. 

 Length, 8-10 mill. 



Worker, like the female in colour and 

 pubescence ; head larger and much wider 

 than the thorax; abdomen only slightly 

 larger than the head; scape of the antennae 

 and tibiae with fine erect hairs ; extreme 

 apex of the antennae pale in all the sexes. 

 Length, 2-5 mill. 



Habitat. Abundant everywhere, often 

 found in houses during the summer, in 

 search of sweets of any description. 



3. Lasius alienus. Forst. 



Very like the preceding. It is rather 

 smaller and paler, the head longer and 

 narrower, and the antennae and tibia: are 

 7iot hairy. 



Habitat. — Deal, Bournemouth, Hayling 

 Island, Sidmouth, &c. 



" The habit of this insect is different from 

 L. niger ; it is usually found on exposed 

 bare patches, on cliffs or commons, and it 

 has a way of tunnelling under ground, and 

 of casting up little hillocks after the manner 

 of the mole." 



Male and female appear about the end of 

 June. 



4. Lasius umbratus. Nyl. 



Male. — Brown, slightly pilose ; the an- 

 tennae and legs not so dark as the body, and 



the tarsi paler ; the mandibles with five 

 teeth ; the basal half of the wings brown, 

 the nervures testaceous, the stigma darker. 

 Length 3-5 mill. 



Female. — Fuscous - yellow, densely 

 covered with a fine cinereous pile ; head 

 little wider than the thorax ; the antennae 

 and legs pale reddish yellow ; the scale of 

 the petiole widely, but not deeply emargi- 

 nate above. Length 7 mill. 



Worker. — Pale yellow, and very similar 

 to L. Jlavus, but with the eyes, scape of the 

 antennae and the tibiae pubescent. Length 



2- 5 mill. 



Habitat. — Generally distributed, and 

 not uncommon. 



5. Lasius mixtus, Nyl. 



Very like the preceding. 



Male. — Has the eyes destitute of hairs. 



Female. — Brown-black; head narrower 

 than the thorax ; the fuscous cloud at the 

 the base of the wing not so dark, but extends 

 heyond the discoidal cell, and the discoidal 

 cell is smaller. 



Worker. — Pale yellow. 



Habitat. — It was taken by the writer at 

 Bickleigh on the 2nd September, 1881, who 

 observed a family gathering on an old 

 bramble stem, males, females, and workers. 

 I believe, however, it is only considered a 

 race of L. umbrata. 



6. Lasius flavus, De Geer. 



Male. — Brownish black ; the articula- 

 tions of the legs and tarsi pale testaceous ; 

 wings white-hyaline, with the nervures pale 

 testaceous; the scape and legs not pube- 

 scent ; the mandibles not toothed. Length 



3- 5 mill. 



Female. — Fuscous ; the palpi, antennae 

 and legs pale yellow testaceous ; clothed 

 with a fine yellow silky pile ; head narrower 

 than the thorax ; wings hyaline, smoky at 

 their base. 



Worker. — Pale yellow ; the tibix and 

 scape of the antennae tvithout the erect hairs, 

 (Continued on page 207.) 



