A. \r-\Esrs. 22 3 



their pathways, what Forel (1874) has called succursal nests, small 

 excavations often resembling true nests, but used by the workers 

 merely as places in which they can rest while foraging or escape from 

 the heat of the sun or the pelting rain. 



The tendency to construct such succursals or to establish several 

 nests connected by run-ways is also apparent in many arboreal ants 

 like the species of (Ecophylla, Polyrhachis, Cremastogaster and Liu- 

 nietopiini. To this habit must also be traced the construction of aphid 

 or coccid tents, sheds or pavilions, as they are variously called. 

 Though often at some distance from the true nests in which the brood 

 is reared, these structures, which are usually made of carton or agglu- 

 tinated earth may be regarded, nevertheless, as vestigial nests adapted 

 to a specific purpose. Huber (1810) and Forel (1874) have de- 

 scribed the aphid and coccid tents of European ants. Similar struc- 

 tures may also be seen in the tropics. On the island of Culebra I found 

 carton tents that had been built by a variety of Cremastogaster lictiina 

 over coccids on the lower surfaces of the leaves of Cordia macrophylla, 

 and in the mountain forests of Porto Rico a yellow Iridomyrmex 

 ( I. incllcit'S) was seen to make similar structures along the prominent 

 ribs on the under sides of the gigantic reniform leaves of the ortegon 

 (Coccolobis rngosa). Titus (1905) has shown that in Louisiana Irido- 

 inyrine.r hnniilis occasionally makes coccid sheds on the surfaces of 

 fruits like the persimmon. In our Northern States the versatile little 

 Cremastogaster lineolata builds earthen or carton sheds which have 

 been described by Osten Sacken (1862), Couper (1863), Trelease 

 ( 1882) and myself (1906^). These structures are of small size, rarely 

 more than 4 cm. long, more or less cylindrical or fusiform, enclosing some 

 twig covered with plant-lice or mealy bugs (Figs. 205-209). A small 

 round opening is left in the wall of the tent for the ingress and egress of 

 the workers. Even the ants which spin silken nests among leaves often 

 construct pavilions for their aphids, coccids, membracids and Lycse- 

 nid caterpillars. Jacobson has observed this in Polyrhachis drrcs and 

 Dodd gives the following description of these tents in (Ecoph\lla 

 I'ircscens: " Not only do these strangely used larvae provide the web 

 to build up the nests, but they are carried considerable distances to 

 various branches, generally near the ends, and they are there induced 

 to furnish material for forming shelters and retreats for various scale 

 insects, ' hoppers ' and caterpillars with which the ants fraternize. 

 Upon a tree may be seen several of these enclosures, or a dozen, 

 occasionally many more ; as a rule a few leaves joined together. Upon 

 large-leaved trees, like Careya aiistralis or Encal\f>tits platvplivlla a 

 single leaf doubled over and fastened down will form a sufficient 



