Notes on Indian Ants. 
197 
Cochin (Bolghetty), established at the very bottom of 
my two best nests of Odontomachus hsematodeSj were 
little communities of this ant, % , ^ , and ^ ; hsematodes 
seemed to leave these tiny yellow visitors severely alone, 
and neither molested nor attended them. 
In the evening swarms of the winged sexes came into 
the bath-room and put out the light (tel-butti) ; but 
these swarms must have come from some other establish- 
ments, as the colonies in my two nests of hsematodes 
would not have furnished one per cent, of the foolish 
little ants who drowned themselves in the oil for three 
or four consecutive nights. This is the only instance in 
India where I have found one species living, not by, or 
near, or allied to, but bona-fide in the nest of another 
species. 
Plagiolepis longipes, Jerdon. 
This widely distributed species is very common in 
Southern India and along the Malabar Coast; but 
nowhere have I found it so abundant as in Calicut, 
where it strongly garrisons all the casuarina trees 
which grow near the big tank and public gardens, and 
it runs a fairly good second to Solenopsis geminata as 
par excellence the Calicut ant. 
Odontomachus hsematodes , L. 
This species was very common in the Island of 
Bolghetty, Cochin ; the nests were situated between the 
roots of trees, and several at the time of my visit, 
November 29th to December 4th, contained the winged 
sexes and were very populous ; on opening up one of these, 
there would take place what can best be described as 
a display of ant-fireworks, the workers letting them- 
selves off in showers with a distinct click, click, click, 
that could be heard without stooping down. But one 
or two nests that did not contain the sexes did not 
exhibit the same excitement and activity, and though 
there would be some little jumping going on there 
were no ant-fireworks. 
Individual workers when taken from the nest, or still 
more so, stray workers when taken in hand, proved as 
a rule but indifferent jumpers, and often would not 
jump at all, but when they did, the action was exactly 
