ANT COMMUNITIES 



Here, beneath a young apple-tree, is a nest of Lasius 

 flavus, whose existence had not been suspected until, 

 in passing it, the free soil around the trunk was seen to 

 be alive with a seething mass of yellow ants males, 

 females, and workers intermingled. They ascend the 

 tree, whose surface is fairly covered with them. The 

 gauzy wings of the sexed forms glisten in the sunlight 

 as they march along. The workers hurry back and 

 forth among the hordes upon the ground. Some join 

 the column upon the tree trunk. They seem to en- 

 courage their winged proteges to take flight, even nip- 

 ping them at times with their jaws to hasten depart- 

 ure. They are in a fever of excitement. 



And well they may be; for this is the grand event to 

 which a good half of the summer's work has steadily led. 

 Thenceforth the commune shall be free from the immense 

 burden of supporting this army of non-workers. How 

 many of them there are! Numbers are continually 

 taking flight. Away into the brilliant sunshine they 

 soar, until they are lost to sight, the females alone and 

 not accompanied by mates, as I have observed in other 

 cases. Their fecundation had been accomplished with- 

 in the nest. Others still are streaming out of the city 

 gates to join their winged comrades on the tree. 



Like scenes are enacted at two other points the 

 farthest twelve feet distant, under a young pear-tree: . 

 the nearer in a shaven orchard sod. midwav between the 



V 



two. These three centres of agitation seem to be parts 

 of a common movement of one great community, whose 

 subterranean quarters intercommunicate across the 

 intervening space. Ere nightfall the crowds of winged 

 forms have disappeared and the city gates are solitary. 

 And this throng of creatures, many hundreds of them, 



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