4/8 .l\TS. 



the grass and pattering over the dead leaves. By 2.20 they had reached 

 their own nest, which was in a dead branch only 8 cm. in diameter, 

 concealed under a pile of old oak leaves. Some of the ants made one 

 or two journeys hack to the snhfcncsccns nest, which was some 20 m. 

 from their own, for the purpose of bringing the remaining pupae. The 

 sitba-ncsccns workers were left wandering about their stump disconso- 

 lately and by 2.30 all the bicolor had entered their branch under the 

 leaves. 



July 2(>, 1 again visited the bicolor nest, but a shower came up, so 

 that no observations could be made. July 27, the rain continued and 

 although it cleared off in the afternoon the amazons remained in 

 their nest. 



July 29 was warm and sunny. I reached the nest at 1.35 P. M., 

 just as the straggling rear of the army was issuing from under the 

 leaves covering the dead branch. The main body had advanced only 

 2.5 m. from the nest and was soon joined by the stragglers. The ants 

 moved rapidly at a rate of 1.3 m. per minute in a rather compact body 

 2.3 m. long and 5-15 cm. broad. They seemed to be greatly excited 

 and hastened on in frenzied eagerness. When about 10 m. from the 

 nest they halted as if they had lost their way and scurried about wildly 

 in all directions over and under the dead leaves. This lasted nearly 

 fifteen minutes. Then the troop again formed and advanced even more 

 rapidly than before in the direction of the stump where I first saw it 

 July 24 in the act of pillaging a subcenescens nest. But when the ants 

 had come within about 1.5 m. of the stump they veered off to the left 

 to a pile of dead leaves. At this point a few subcenescens workers 

 were running about and it seemed as if there must be a nest of these 

 ants in the immediate vicinity. Such was evidently also the impression 

 of the amazons, for the troop halted and began to scurry about under 

 the leaves. The few subcenescens did not desert the premises, but fell 

 upon the amazons and pulled them 'about by the legs and antennas. 

 Fully fifteen minutes were consumed in this feverish search. Then 

 the amazons seemed to have gained the impression that there was no 

 nest at this spot. The column turned back slowly, with movements 

 indicative of disappointment or fatigue. After retreating about 2 m. 

 in the direction of their own nest, an offshoot of the troop suddenly 

 started to the right and after covering about 60 cm. came upon a nest. 

 I raised the leaves slightly and found a small hollow in the vegetable 

 mould containing several hundred subcenescens workers huddled about 

 some twenty larvae and pupa;. This undoubtedly represented a colony 

 that had been previously pillaged, probably the one I had seen attacked 

 July 24. The poor ants had moved first to the spot where the bicolor 



