We probably do not know the whole round of occupations which make up the life by day, of the _Paussidæ_; of their life by night, we know nothing at all. The nefarious raids upon the larvæ or eggs (for both are appreciated) of the ants can hardly be of frequent occurrence, or the partnership, one would think, must come to an end. Other ant-guests, however, including sometimes smaller members of their own family, are likewise preyed upon by these curious beetles, but very frequently, when observed, they seem to be asleep, nor do they appear then to be taken much notice of by the ants. Where or under what conditions their eggs are hatched, or what is the larval and pupal history of each species, we do not know, but only the perfect insect has as yet been found in any ants’ nest. Other beetles that live with ants are either indifferent or hostile to them, but others, again, are kept and tended in the same manner as are the aphides, and for a similar purpose. All or most of these secrete some sweet substance, which their hosts lick up, and, in return, offer them an asylum from all enemies, and are ready to give them their personal protection, should this be necessary. They go even further than this, and actually feed them as they do their own larvæ, with honey, or something of a similar nature, which they regurgitate from their crops. One little beetle—_Atemeles_ by name—is extremely fond of such a meal, and solicits it from the ants by stopping in front of them and assuming a certain attitude, accompanied with insinuating motions of the antennæ. Whether _Atemeles_ is able to feed itself, or must live wholly upon these ministrations, I am not quite sure; but another beetle—poor _Clavigertestaceus_—is, according to Janet, so entirely dependent upon the ants for subsistence that, if separated from them, he has nothing to do but to die. ----- Footnote 10: Others call them _inquilines_. Footnote 11: Kirby, Marvels of Ant Life, p. 100. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ CHAPTER IV Ant parasites—Fleet-footed brigands—Honey-stealing mites—A strange table companion—Privileged cockroaches—Ants and their riders—A fly-ride on beetle-back.