236 ./ATS. 



of Uddiitomuchus. were at once shorn of their legs, then decapitated, 

 and finally their thoraces and abdomens cut into smaller pieces and 

 distributed among the larvae. One was given a fly's head, which it kept 

 twirling around in a comical manner, while it devoured the brain 

 through the small cervical orifice. Another was given a piece of a 

 tlmrax with one of the wings still attached, another a piece of an 

 abdomen, still another, a leg with a mass of muscle at its coxal end, etc. 

 May 16. This evening a small Homopterous insect was placed in 

 the Odontomachus nest. One of the ants ( A ) snapped at it, disabled 

 and then left it. A few moments later it was picked up by another 

 ant ( I) ) and carried into the chamber containing the larvae and pupae. 

 Thereupon a third ant (C) took hold of it and began to tug at it with 

 B till it was torn open, but not into pieces. B then placed it on the 



FIG. 135. Brachyponera solitaria of Japan. (Original.) 



flat ventral surface of a medium-sized larva, which began to feed at 

 once, moving the Homopteron around with its jaws. After four 

 minutes had elapsed, another ant (D) that had been standing nearby, 

 apparently much interested in 'he feeding, suddenly tore the morsel 

 away and placed it on a small larva. This larva was permitted to feed 

 ten minutes, closely watched during all this time by ant D and another 

 (E) which had come up in the meantime. Then ant D tried to tear 

 the morsel away from the small larva, but apparently unable to do so, 

 took up the larva with the morsel and dumped both on the ventral 

 surface of a large larva. This creature seized the Homopteron and 

 forced the small larva to release its hold and to drop to the ground. 

 The large larva fed for fully twenty minutes, closely watched by the 

 ant D and two others (E and F). All of these ants tried at different 

 times to wrench the morsel away from the larva, but failed. Sud- 

 denly a small ant (C) rushed up, tore it away and ran off with it. By 

 this time very little was left of the Homopteron and T lost track of it. 

 .May 23. A few crumbs of cake moistened with water were placed 



