1879.] NATURAL SCIENCES OF PHILADELPHIA. 197 



August 19. 

 The President, Dr. Ruschenberger, in the chair. 

 Twentj'-three persons present. 



August 29. 



The President, Dr. Ruschenberger, in the chair, 

 Fourteen persons present. 



September 2. 

 The President, Dr. Ruschenberger, in the chair. 

 Twenty persons present. 



September 5. 



The President, Dr. Ruschenberger, in the chair. 



Thirty-eight persons present. 



A paper entitled "Description of a New Branchipod," by 

 John A. Ryder, was presented for publication. 



On Myrmecocystus Mexicanus, Wesm. Rev. H. C. McCook 

 exhibited several glass formicaries containing a large number of 

 living specimens of the honey ant, Myrmecocystus Mexicanus, 

 Wesmael. These embraced three worker castes, major, minor, and 

 dwarf, the honey-hearer, and the fertile queen. The artificial nests 

 had been brought from the Garden of the Gods, Colorado, where 

 the honey-ant had been discovered by Mr. McCook. They had 

 previously been supposed to be confined to a more southern lati- 

 tude. The nests are found on the tops or southern slopes of 

 ridges. In exterior architecture they are small gravel-covered 

 moundlets, truncated cones, pierced in the centre by a gate, or 

 perpendicular opening from three to six inches deep. The interior 

 architecture was illustrated by numerous specimens brought from 

 excavated nests. It consists of a series of underground galleries 

 and chambers, cut through the gravel and sandstone to the dis- 

 tance of nearly eight feet in length, two to four feet beneath the 

 surface, and about ten to twelve inches in width at the widest part. 

 The honey-bearers were found hanging in groups to the roofs of 



