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Ci )IJ.h:MIl{ )|. \ I’l' i‘I.)i> 
( iu- lollow ii)_‘. { ‘hscr\-at i( nis w rrc made in A (elite »iirnc, 
Aiislritlia (Inni'iL: tlie early >|)rine ( vSejjtenilxT ) of 
A .small colony oi tiie (laeetiiu* ant, .1 1 isf m uia m ,s]>. 
( In'own ms.), nad been .secured from a rotten lo^ in wet 
sc lei o| tj ly 1 1 tori'.st at Sherltre tokc* I'orc’st, I)andenon)-i 
Kfin^es, \ K'tetria. al<>n^ w'lth setine ol the* rettten wood 
m which the nt st chamhers ha<l (teen excav’ated. The 
.n:i- ,«nd the rotKm wood were placed in a small ^lass- 
t<*}iped plastt'f « »h>er \’atn >11 nt‘st in the c'oiirsc' (tf exjXTi- 
mentv t<> delta mine tood jireterences of the ants, since 
reiait'i dac(*tmt‘s were known to jtrc'v’ upon turc'ulatc' 
coiiemholans ot several families. Conditions within the 
nest were kept very moist, so that a film of water col- 
lected on the under side of the ^kuss, and in this t'dm 
appearerl from time tf) time sUauier nematodt\s of leiif^ths 
judiied rou^kly to he ahont 1 to 2 mm. 'The luanatodes 
showtd . ]ncc'r^.^n^^ ra]>id undulant or whijilasli movcancait 
like tiiat of ilu‘ comnuin vinepar et'l. 1'he nematodes 
also ap}»eared in numhers ftn flead ants that had been 
placed on the rt‘fuse heaj) of the lucst. 
Amon^ other small arthropods, 1 introduced into this 
nc t sc \ ( I a 1 s pc*( H*s ( )t ( o 1 1 ein hoi a ^ < » t t h c'.se, t hc‘ t or m 
most oftc'u used ajipf'ared to Ix' the t'ommonest sjtrinetail 
in \1eIhunriK' )^ai deals at niftst s(M.sf»n,s of the* \'c‘ar, 1 Ins 
was an Isotofna or a related ^(aius of the Isotomidae, 
uniortuiiately nf)t jtreserved tor prftjier identification. 
Indi \ ifi i uds ot this tftrm wx^rc* often seen walkinp^ alftipc^ 
the malerside of the j^dass, “Rra/me:” in the film with 
mocin .14 mouthjiarts and leaving a faint trail in the mois- 
tme. When a sprin^tail canx' uj)on a luanatofle, even 
a worm lU'arly as lonx as its(‘lt, the worm was on each 
f)cca.sif»n .'.eized at ftne eiifl atifl rapidly and smootlilv in- 
t 
i Cm.V NiCMAToiM'S 
Xf'^tf'd. aliihuixh siill uiiflulatmx rapidly until the frt'C 
tip (h -^appea reel. 1 'pc process <»t actual ingestion tcx/k 
only two or three' seconds fince hexun, and there*fore 
a f^Ciirrd to he acf'omplished at least partly liy some' kind 
of suction |)roducefl hy the collc’mhfilan. The ohscTvatioii 
was repeated on several (at least ten) occasions, and 
each lime was the* same m details of the prficess. Tlic 
C f >1 lemholans showc'd no fthvions sip^ivi ficant orientation 
towaard the nematodes until almost witinn direct centact 
raiii^f' through their ftniy nualerately liaic’ isotomid an- 
tennae.N* Once antennal contact was actually made, how- 
ever, thc' nematode was in each case actuallv consumed 
W'ithout delay, in seizing the worms, tlu- Collemltola ai>- 
))eai'('d to use directly only their moutlpnarts. 
I had jilanned to continue oh.servatio^^ of this he- 
hax’ior of the t olIemh<;lans. hut other work intertered. 
It should he possihle, however, to test isotomids ff)r 
lu'inatode ieedinx hahits under similar, easily set u]) con- 
ditions in other jiarts of the w'orld than .Xustralia. So 
little IS T^own about the f(»()d hahits ot main* ColU'mltolans 
(and the* predators of luanatodes ) that thrther investi).ta- 
tioii mixht jtrove rewarding out of all projtortion to ttie 
slight difficulties involved in makiipc: the oliservations. 
Action taking place in a small plaster nest on the under- 
side ot the xkoss cox'er is readily tollowed even at medi- 
um jiowers of the dissecting microscope in moderate il- 
lumination. • 
Mo.SKUM of CoMI’AKATiVF ZoOIaKtV, 
J fAkVARI) Un I VFRSITV. 
( AMHRUKtK d8, M ASSACH OSKTTS 
1»R0WX, I R, 
•i's 
