SEED-MASS ETC. OF HELLEBORUS FŒTIDUS. 449 
however, attracted by a worker of Myrmica levinodis carrying off one of the 
seeds. Up to this moment I did not know that this species was in the garden 
at all, but I followed her and came upon the nest a few yards away. 
Returning to Monisthorpea nigra, I found that they got the mass into the 
nest in almost exactly 40 minutes from the time that they commenced 
operations ; it was old and soil-stained, and if the larval resemblance is to be 
attributed to the white strip, it certainly had none at all, for the whole thing 
was earthy, 
By this time I had only one unmutilated mass left; it, too, was old and 
dirty, and it happened to be a large one of 14 seeds. first gave the 
Myrmicas single seeds and fragments, and they very quickly carried. them 
inside. Finally, I gave them the mass, which I placed three inches from the 
entrance that they were using. It was attacked. by а swarm of workers, but 
they moved it only with difficulty : more of them arrived and they managed 
get it a little nearer the hole. Then they changed 
their tactics, many of them went off, and those that were left worked hard at 
to raise it bodily and 
nibbling the strip. In about 25 minutes the mass broke into two and the 
smaller portion of five seeds was at once taken into the nest. The remainder 
was again divided т а very few minutes, and the whole mass was thus taken 
inside in three instalments and in about 32 minutes, 
This is the only occasion on which I have seen a mass broken by the ants, 
and as I had no more left, except those that I wanted to keep for the photo, 
it is likely to remain the only one for some time to come. 
Myrmica leevinodis is a larger ant than Vonisthorpea nigra and presumably 
more powerful, and in the result it got the larger mass into its nest in about 
three-fourths of the time that it took the smaller species to cover only two- 
thirds of the distance (that is to say, it covered a distance greater by 50 per 
cent. ina period of time shorter by 20 per cent.), though it is net easy to 
decide whether it owes its greater efficiency to its superior strength, its 
different methods, or to both of them; one must, however, remember that the 
strip had become decidedly brittle by this time, whereas the fresh strip is 
more or less tough. 
On the same afternoon I also discovered a third species in the garden, 
namely, JJonisthorpea flara; it is considerably smaller than Donisthorpea 
nigra, and seemingly not nearly so energetic. Its worker simply nibbled at 
the bait languidly, but made no attempt to move the seed, nor was there any 
combined elfort either for the single seeds or the fragments; in justice, 
however, one must again remember the staleness of the elaiosome. This 
species is more subterranean in its habits than the other two, and is largely 
dependent upon root-aphides for its food ; it milks them and feeds upon the 
excreta, so it is not perhaps surprising that it did not display anything like 
the same interest—perhaps it was out of its nest merely to enjoy a sun-bath 
and some sleep in the open air. 
