NATURAL SCIENCES OF PHILADELPHIA. 9 



The third subfamily is composed of species having an oblong-oval and com- 

 pressed body. The dorsal fin is elongated, commencing over or before the ventral 

 fins and proceeding backwards at least as far as the commencement of the anal 

 fin ; the anterior rays are usually much longer than the others. To this group 

 the name of Bubalichthuince maybe given. Carpiodes is the typical genus, but 

 it would scarcely be proper to modify that name by the termination indicating 

 a subfamily ; we have therefore accepted the above modification of the name 

 Bubal 'ichthys of Agassiz proposed for a genus of this subfamily. 



Note on Ants in Texas. 



BY S. B. BUCKLEY. 



The cities of the Cutting Ant (Myrmica Texaua) are sometimes much larger 

 than those described by me in an article published in the Journal of the Aca- 

 demy. During the summer, I have measured some which extended beneath a 

 surface having an average diameter of seventy feet ; and in one instance, their 

 town was spread beneath an area of about one hundred feet. Their cellars, 

 from six inches to two and three feet in diameter, are beneath this surface to 

 the depth of from twelve to eighteen feet. The dirt brought up is in the form 

 of a crater, to the edge of which they carry the ground excavated, where it i 

 dropped, and rolls down the sides of the volcano-like hill, which is seldom 

 more than eighteen inches high. The storms level the hills, and new ones 

 are formed on them, until the dirt excavated is sometimes three feet deep. A 

 new city, or when more rooms are made in an old one, has at the surface the 

 appearance of a model volcanic region with isolated craters and mountain 

 ranges. In an old established town the surface of the ground around the main 

 entrances is nearly level, in order that stores for home use may be easily brought 

 in along their roads, extending into the country in all directions. Besides these 

 paths there are underground avenues as was mentioned in a former paper 

 whose outer doorways are several hundred feet distant from town, through 

 which most of the grain and leaves used by them is carried. The digging of 

 these tunnels is begun near the lower cellars, from whence they are extended 

 to the outer entrances, around which excavated dirt is seldom if ever found. 

 That they store up food is very probable, nor can there be much doubt of it, 

 since it is well known that they often abstain from work during several days 

 in succession in the winter time. It is also well known, in the region infested 

 by them, that they carry large quantities of grain and leaves into their abodes. 

 I have often seen the margins of their paths covered with segments of green 

 leaves, where they are left to dry, after which they are taken below. The 

 green fruit of the elm is treated in a similar manner. It is true that leaves and 

 fruits are carried into town in a green state, but they surely would not dry a 

 portion unless they wished to preserve it for future use. They do mo3t of their 

 work in the night time, especially in the summer season, when they do not 

 labor during the heat of the day. On one occasion our tent was inadvertently 

 erected near one of their towns, and as we were about to spread our blankets 

 for sleep, we found the ground almost covered with ants. We were driven to 

 platforms for slumber. In the meantime the ants were actively engaged in 

 carrying home fragments of biscuit and other things which had been dropped 

 from our table ; other parties of them packed the grains of corn strewed on the 

 ground near the feed box of our mules and horses. I had been told that " cut- 

 ting ants" could carry the largest grains of corn, but did not believe it; but 

 at that time I saw some big grains move slowly along the ant path, and on close 

 scrutiny could see that said grains were carried on the backs of the little 

 ants. We were encamped near Judge Eastland's, in Bastrop County, and the 

 next morning the Judge brought over some bits of lead immersed in molasses, 

 to test the strength of the ants. The pieces of lead were three and four times 



1861.] 



