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POPULAR SCIENCE REVIEW. 
one was so occupied, though the hulliferous leaves bore numerous 
small ants’ nests on their under surface, commonly just over the 
orifices.” It is to he hoped that Mr. Trail’s further researches 
will add additional information to that which we at present 
possess on this interesting subject. The ants inhabiting the 
Melastomacece appear to he quite as pugnacious as those of other 
plants. Mr. Spruce, in a manuscript note in the Kew Herba- 
rium, speaks of Myrmidone as tenanted by u a small fiery ant 
whose sting I shall long remember.” 
I do not know that instances of leaf-habitation have been re- 
corded in any other order of plants ; but I believe an instance 
may be found in a South American Eubiaceous plant, now re- 
ferred to Remijia , but distributed by Spruce under the name 
of Ladenbergia (?) physophora. This plant has hollow blad- 
ders at the base of th$ petiole, which, judging from their 
analogy with those of the Melastomacece , may be tenanted by 
ants ; the stems also are hollow. 
This is, so far as I am aware, a summary of what has been 
hitherto recorded upon this curious and interesting subject ; and 
although I have brought forward no new facts, I am not with- 
out hope that, by directing attention to the matter, further 
information may be obtained. It is almost certain that many 
more plants will be found to offer a home to ants. I have been 
much struck with the ventricose hollow swellings which almost 
uniformly appear on the stems of Hyptis Salzmanni , H . calo- 
phylla , and other allied South American species and which 
suggest the probability that these also may be inhabited by 
ants ; but this is only an hypothesis. 
The following is a classified list of the plants which I have 
mentioned, showing the part which is affected in each : — 
Leguminos^e. — Acacia , various species (thorns). 
(1.) Melastomacece. — Tococa , Galophysa , Microphysa , Myr- 
midone , and Maieta , various spp. (petioles and leaf bases). 
(2.) Ettbiace^e. — Myrmecoclia and Hydnophytum (tubers); 
(?) Remijia sp. (petioles). 
(xentianacece. — Tachia guianensis (stems). 
Boraginaceje. — Cordia nodosa (bases of petioles). 
Verbenace^e. — Glerodendron sp. (internodes). 
Polygonaceje. — Triplaris spp. (trunks and branches). 
Artocarpaceae. — Cecropia peltata (trunks and branches). 
OrciiidacecE. — Schomburgkia tibicinis (pseudo-bulbs). 
