AUSTRALIAN FORMICIDAE 
73 
no trace of the other three prisoners. The ant still held by 
the Iridomyrmex was alive and did not appear to be much 
damaged. One of the robbers appeared at the second entrance 
but went in again. There was no sign of life at the nests 
which had been attacked by the robbers. 
“28 Feb., ’34. Robber ants busy at both entrances, bring- 
ing out small bits of earth with which they formed a ring 
round each entrance. The particles are finer than those 
usually brought out by ants of their size. Some, on coming 
out, deposited what they carried and hurriedly went back, 
others went foraging around a few feet from the nest, while 
one remained near the entrance scraping the earth back 
with her feet. When foraging they run with the head down, 
close to the ground and the abdomen raised above the thorax. 
They move very rapidly. 
“2 March, ’34. At 3 p.m. a few ants were out foraging. 
One was carrying a piece of straw-like material. On being 
touched the ant dropped its load and disappeared into a crack 
in the ground, in a short time it reappeared and returned 
for its load which it carried to the nest. The robbers have 
made a third entrance to their nest, the new hole is about 
one foot from the first entrance. The ants were seen to emerge 
and return by the new entrance. At 7 p.m. all three entrances 
were closed.” 
Another of the ants discovered by Mr. Potter is a peculiar 
species which is placed in the genus MelopJiorus {M. fulvi- 
liirtus sp. nov.). Most of the known species of Melophorus 
are harvesting ants, collecting the seeds of grasses and small 
plants near the nest. The new species apparently does not 
collect seeds but appears to be a robber ant. Each occasion 
on which this ant has been seen, it was robbing the nests of 
the common “Meat Ant” {Iridomyrmex delectus Smith), 
probably the most pugnacious ant in Australia. 
Mr. Potter has supplied the following notes regarding this 
robber ant: — 
“In this district there is a colony of this ant in, or near 
every nest of the ‘Meat Ant’ {Iridomyrmex delectus Smith). 
Grenerally the nest is situated near the middle of the meat 
ant’s nest but sometimes in the ground alongside the nest. I 
have not found them more than a few feet away. The 
entrance to the nest is funnel-shaped and is not surrounded 
by a mound; apparently very little earth is excavated from 
below. At night the entrance is closed with small stones and 
earth. During cold weather the ants are not active but a few 
of the large workers are to be seen just inside the entrance 
