THE HABITS OF ANTS IN GENERAL. 



is the case with the female in the Dorylinae and in Leptogenys. In 

 these cases mating must take place either within the nest or on 

 the ground outside. When only the female is winged, unless it be 

 possible for sisters and brothers of the same colony to mate, and this 

 is actually the case in Anergates she must enter strange nests or meet 

 the male while she is wandering about in the open. Observations on 

 this subject are, unfortunately, very meager. 



When both sexes are winged mating nearly always takes place in 

 the air on what is called the nuptial, or marriage flight. Even among 

 these species however, mating or attempts to mate have been observed 

 in artificial nests, but this is certainly exceptional and its normal oc- 

 currence in wild colonies is rather doubtful. Apparently there are pro- 

 visions for favoring cross fertilization between the sexes of different 

 colonies. In the first place, it is rare to find colonies at the breeding 

 season containing equal numbers of males and 

 females. Usually one or the other sex greatly 

 predominates and often only one is repre- 

 sented in a colony. Then, too, the nuptial 

 flight for all the colonies of a particular species 

 in the same neighborhood usually takes place 

 on the same day or even at the same hour, so 

 that the males of one colony have an oppor- 

 tunity of mating with the females from others. 

 It is certain that the workers forcibly detain 

 the impatient sexes in the nests till the pro- 

 pitious hour arrives. Why this should be the 

 same for all the colonies in a given localitv is FlG - I0 4- Winged and 



... dealated female of Campon- 



not easily determined, but it is generally con- otns a mericanus, somewhat 



ceded to be due to meteorological conditions, enlarged. (Photograph by 



, J. G. Hubbard and O. S. 

 This, indeed, seems to be the most natural strong.) 



explanation of the phenomenon. 



When the hour for the nuptial flight draws near, a strange excite- 

 ment pervades the ranks of the workers. At such times even the blind 

 and etiolated workers of the hypoggeic species venture out into the 

 sunlight and accompany the males and females to the entrance of the 

 nest. The winged forms move about in tremulous indecision, but, 

 finally venture forth, run about on the stones or climb about on the 

 grass-blades till they have filled their tracheae with a plentiful supply 

 of oxygen. Then they spread their wings and are soon lost to view 

 high in the air. Their evolutions, so far as they can be observed, re- 

 semble those of the honey-bee so vividly described by Maeterlinck : 

 " She, drunk with her wings, obeying the magnificent law of the 



