THE HARVESTING ANTS. 



277 



lowing observations : The ants of one nest were noticed to be harvesting' 

 the seeds of Portulacca oleracca Linn, and of Ainarantlnis liridis 

 Linn. both common weeds and growing at a comparative distance 

 from the nest. These seeds had remajned stored up in their nest for 

 some time, when rain suddenly came on, and under its influence the 

 seeds especially those of the latter plant commenced to germinate. 

 Of those which had already thrown out a radical, this was bitten off 

 and brought to the surface ; some of these seeds were also gnawn into, 

 and the ruptured black perisperm containing more or less food sub- 

 stance in like manner rejected. Other seeds, which had swollen in 

 response to moisture, were carried up for the purpose of being dried 

 and re-stored. In the midst of these operations, however, rain came 

 on again, and the ants retired, leaving seeds on the surface. These 

 immediately germinated, and a small patch of Amaraiithus grew up. 

 making the site of what was before a nest of harvesting ants, quite 

 isolated among plants of different character. On a second occasion 



FIG. 158. Large mound nest (modified crater) of Pogonamyrmex niolcfucieiis with 

 entrance in depression at summit. (Original.) 



a nest, in which much seed of Elcusinc indica was known to have been 

 harvested some months since, was dug up. Some of the grass seed 

 selected from the nest was afterwards sown ; also some of the earth 

 from the nest which was known to contain both seeds of this plant and 

 of another species of Amaranthus. In both cases the sowings were 

 made in situations remote from such places in which any of these plants 

 were already growing, and, as a result, in the course of time, numerous 



