-264 ANTS. 



ing formicaiies and carrying the brood to their temporary nests. This 

 habit is also well-known in the tropical species and is expressly men- 

 tioned by nearly all the authors above cited. The kidnapped lame and 

 pup;e are stored for a time and then eaten like any other insect prey. 

 All the species I have seen, with the exception of /:. ccvcntn, are exclu- 

 sively entomophagous. 



/.'. cd'cnni is, as Dates observed, exclusively hypogaeic in its habits 

 and never appears in the open, but tunnels along just beneath the 

 surface of the soil or under clusters of stones. I have never been able 

 to find even its temporary nests, although it is one of the most abundant 

 ants in central Texas. It may often be found ferreting out larvae in 

 or under old logs, under cow-dung, or the dead bodies of cats and 

 clogs. Sometimes on these subterranean forays, it chances to enter the 

 galleries of other ants and then a fierce battle ensues. On one occasion 

 I found a number of dead E. caecum workers on the refuse heap of 

 a large nest of the Texan harvester (Pogonomyrmex inolefaciens) and 

 on examining the workers of this colony, which were running about 

 on the denuded nest area, I found each of them carrying the head of 

 an E. carciini immovably attached by the closed mandibles to the anten- 

 nal scape. This told the story of a fierce subterranean conflict in 

 which the harvesters had come off victorious, though compelled to 

 carry about the detached heads of their assailants. E. coecuin is also 

 very fond of certain vegetable substance, especially of nuts. I have 

 sometimes attracted and trapped great numbers of workers by burying 

 a few walnut or pecan kernels in the lawns near Austin. 



The Ecitons carry their larvae and pupae under their bodies like the 

 Dorylii and the Ponerinae. They move very rapidly and orient them- 

 selves with surprising alacrity for animals that are quite blind and have 

 to rely entirely on their contact-odor sense. This was observed by 

 Forel ( 1899^ ) in E. Caroline nsc and I have noticed it in a number of spe- 

 cies. Forel says : " Throw a handful of Ecitons with their larvae on a 

 spot with which they are absolutely unacquainted. In such circumstances 

 other ants scatter about in disorder and require an hour or more 

 (sometimes less) to assemble and bring their brood together and espe- 

 cially to become acquainted with their environment, but the Ecitons 

 do this at once. In five minutes they have formed distinct files which 

 no longer disintegrate. They carry their larvae and pupae, marching 

 in a straight path, palpating the ground with their antennas and exploring 

 all the holes and crevices till they find, a suitable retreat and enter it 

 with surprising order and promptitude. The workers follow one 

 another as if at word of command, and in a very short time all are in 

 safety." 



