80 
OBSERVATIONS ON ANTS. 
see this species out hunting. If we look at the little black Ant 
(Lasius niger) we shall find that it not only keeps aphides in the 
nest, but also regularly milks aphides, which are on plants and 
trees growing near the nest. 
Several times I have found little clods of earth fixed on grass 
stems, inside of which were many aphides, which were regularly 
attended by Ants. 
This species is fond of a stray fly or caterpillar for which it goes 
to endless trouble to carry to its nest. Living with most Ants are 
to be found a few beetles. The beetles are generally rare species 
and are well tended by the Ants. Some of them exude from the 
base of a tuft of hairs near the posterior end of the body a sweet 
juice which the ants drink with evident relish. These beetles 
are useful to the Ants because they eat or kill the mites, to which 
Ants are very subject to attack. There is also another strange 
animal which is found in almost every nest. It is like a tiny white 
wood-louse, and is quite blind. It glories under the name of 
Platyarthrus Hoffmanseggii. Its relation to the Ants is unknown. 
I have never seen them take the slightest notice of one another. 
Some authorities have supposed it to act as a scavenger. 
Another species of Ant (Lasius alienus) which I have just dis- 
covered on Durdham Downs, is very similar to L. niger, but is 
smaller and has no hairs on the tibiae. It lives among small loose 
stones and raises a cone of earth over the entrance to its nest. 
Another species not recorded for Bristol is Lasius mixtus which 
I have found in quantity at Leigh and Long Ashton. It is slightly 
larger than flavus and darker yellow. The habits are 
apparently the same as flavus. 
The red or stinging Ants are fairly well represented here. The 
commonest is Myrmica Laevinodis, distinguished from all others 
by possessing smooth nodes. It is common in the University 
garden and at Leigh. A rather rarer species is M. scabrinodis, 
two nests of which I have found at Leigh. This Ant is distin- 
guished by the abrupt bend at the base of the antenna. 
M. lobicornis is very local, and I have only found one specimen 
(and that one was a queen) in the middle of a nest of L. mixtus. This 
species has a peculiar thickening at the base of the antenna — 
hence its name. In many cases I have found mixed nests. These 
are not mixed in the true sense of the word, because each species 
keeps to its own side of the nest. If the mound is disturbed, each 
kind fight furiously with the other. At Leigh I have found 
one mound containing F. fusca, L. flavus and M. lsevinodis. 
Often I have found L. flavus and L. niger under the same stone — 
but keeping apart. When these two species are found like this, 
in every case, I have found the channels of niger are strewn with 
dead flavus. If flavus and lsevinodis are living close to one 
another, a number of corpses of laevinodis are found among the 
flavus. Although laevinodis is provided with a sting it very 
