THE ARGENTINE ANT IN RELATION TO CITRUS GROVES. 49 
MEANS OF DEFENSE OF THE LACEWING INSECTS. 
The following observation will illustrate the methods of defense 
| of certain of the predatory enemies of soft scales and aphids. The 
larvae of the lacewing flies when attacked emit a fluid from the tip 
of the abdomen which, though so small in amount that it can 
scarcely be seen, strongly affects the ants. The larvae will avoid 
the ants if possible by keeping out of their trails when moving, and 
when feeding upon mealybugs take up a position under the groups, 
where they are protected by their prey. On a tree in which many 
cocoons of Ghrysopa calif ornica Coq. occurred and which was over- 
run with ants a larva of the Chrysopa was seen crawling up the 
trunk on the opposite side from the ant trails. The larva was 
teased over into the midst of the ants, with the following result: 
An ant seized it by a foreleg, when it brought the tip of its abdo- 
men forward and touched the ant, which then dropped to the 
ground. A second ant ran up, but as the chrysopid brought the tip 
of the abdomen forward, backed away, and the larva resumed its 
journey. Another ant took hold and, receiving the same treatment, 
backed hurriedly away in a circle, frantically brushing its head 
with the forefeet, Four ants then made a combined attack. The 
larva deliberately waited until they had a good hold, probably to- 
be sure of its mark and conserve the secretion, when it touched them, 
and they acted precisely as had the preceding one. All these ants 
soon ceased to move and acted as if very sick. In the meantime the 
chrysopid passed out of the ant trail and proceeded up the tree. 
The larvae of the brown lacewings defend themselves in precisely 
the same manner, emitting a minute globule of bright amber to red 
fluid that is evidently injurious to the ants. 
MEANS OF DEFENSE OF THE LADY-BEETLES. 
The larvae of various coccinellids are protected by a covering of 
spines or of cottony excretion and by a thick yellowish material 
exuded from pores situated along the margins and dorsum of the 
body. Ants many times have been seen attempting to seize larvae 
of the mealybug-feeding species Hyperaspis lateralis Muls., but not 
in a single instance did they succeed in capturing one. This larva, 
when feeding in the midst of mealybugs, usually remains perfectly 
motionless and does not attract the attention of the ants. When 
moving and attacked by them it flattens first one side to the surface, 
^and, if attacked by several ants at once, it flattens down all around, 
leaving only the cottony filaments exposed. Sometimes the ants then 
will pull out masses of this cotton, and on one occasion they were 
