THE YOUNG NATURALIST. 



803 



BRITISH ANTS— By O. O. BIGNELL. 

 (Continued from page 287J 



desperate enemies can live under the same 

 roof. It explains itself, however, when we 

 learn that the Snlenopsis fngax lives in the 

 nests of other ants just as mice live in our 

 houses. They bore narrow galleries for 

 their own use even in the partitions which 

 the larger ants set up for separating their 

 chambers. The reason for the Solenopsis 

 occupying the nest of other ants appears, 

 by M. Forel's remarks, to be that " they are 

 so delicate that they can live but a very 

 short lime in the sun or dry air. In ordi- 

 nary weather it is very rare to find a Solen- 

 opsis worker out of its nest." He therefore 

 conjectures that they obtain their food in 

 the nest : some portion from the sweets that 

 must be spilt by accident or awkwardness 

 by the hosts while feeding their young ; also 

 from dejections of the larger species, and 

 from the saccharine matter obtained from 

 the jrucerous, which were found in their 

 small chambers. 



As S. fiigax is bound to avoid the large 

 foe, it is worth mentioning how the males 

 and females leave the nest of their host 

 without being molested. " On the i6th 

 September, 1868," M. Forel says, " it was a 

 cloudy day without rain, but it had rained 

 several days previously. The same day I 

 had searched into a large number of ant- 

 hills, and found them almost deserted in 

 all their upper parts ; the workers had re- 

 tired to the deepest parts of the nest " (the 

 winged males and females having departed 

 at least a month before.) He saw " the top 

 of a nest literally covered with workers of 

 S.fugax, which appeared a yard off to be of 

 an uniform yellow ; they were following the 

 movements of the males and females, which 

 were taking their departure by the two or 

 three little round holes bored for the 

 occasion, and were climbing the surround- 

 ing blades of grass in order to take tlight," 

 the workers following them, until they flew, 



just as the workers of other species do on 

 similar occasions. 



Genus MONOMORIUM. 



1. Monomorium pharaonis, Linn. 



Male. — Nigro-fuscous ; abdomen shining; 

 the flagellum and legs pale testaceous ; 

 antennae with thirteen joints, the club com- 

 posed of three joints ; the thorax very closely 

 and delicately punctured ; wings hyline, 

 the nervures pale testaceous. Length, 2 mill. 



Female. — Pale rufo-testaceous ; the an- 

 tennae with twelve joints, the last three 

 forming the club ; thorax elongate ovate ; 

 the posterior margin of the scutellum fus- 

 cous ; abdomen dark fuscous, with the base 

 pale rufo-testaceous ; the apical margins of 

 the following segments narrowly testaceous. 

 Length, 2 J mill. 



Worker. — Pale reddish yellow, naked, 

 smooth and opaque ; the apex and sides of 

 the abdomen more or less fuscous ; meta- 

 thorax not spined ; thorax slightly con- 

 stricted between the meso and the meta- 

 thorax; abdomen smooth and shining. 



Length, i\ mill. 



Habitat. — Common in many houses in 

 London, Hastings, Exeter, Plymouth, &c. 

 " A native of tropical and sub-tropical 

 countries throughout the entire world, living 

 in houses." 



Genus MYRMECINA, Curt. 



1. Myrmecina Latreillei, Curt. 



Male. — Black-brown, covered with rather 

 long hairs; antennae and legs somewhat 

 paler ; head with the vertex much rounded 

 and elevated, the ocelli very prominent ; 

 antenna? with thirteen joints, the scape 

 very short, about as long as the two follow- 

 ing joints ; mesothorax irregularly punctured 

 and somewhat rugose b hind, converging 

 lines very deep and crcnate ; metathorax 

 cronate at the base, apex with two short 

 spines; wings very dark and hairy, margins 

 ciliated, with an appendiculated marginal 

 (To be continued on f-agc 319.) 



