104 PROCEEDINGS OF THE ACADEMY OP 



all portions of the house, sucking and carrying away every thing greasy or 

 sweet that is not hermetically sealed. They cut and destroy window curtains 

 and articles of clothing that are starched. 



One way to destroy the erratic ant, is to lay out a greasy rag or recently 

 laid aside greasy bone. By either of these experiments multitudes of them 

 will be attracted, and when sufficient numbers of them have collected on the 

 bait, hold it in the flame of burning shavings or other quick combustible, 

 repeating the experiment frequently. But if the bone or rag be left undis- 

 turbed, it will not be long until they have extracted every particle of the oil 

 from it ; and should there be any scraps of flesh remaining on the bone 

 when it is cast aside, it will be found that in a short time, they have cut 

 the flesh to pieces, and after extracting the oil it may have contained, dropped 

 it down in the form of dry powder, showing conclusively that they do not 

 subsist on flesh, or dry food. They treat the kernels of any of the oily nuts 

 in the same way Hence I conclude that they subsist on a fluid diet, and 

 that they, like the honey bee, are provided with an internal sack, or pouch, 

 in which to transport their stores to the cities. 



This day, 22d August, I observed the erratic ant in great numbers, carrying 

 something in their mouths, and, as it was a visible something they were 

 packing home, I was curious to know what it. might be. So I robbed a couple 

 of them of their freight, which, on being exposed under the microscope, 

 turned out to be the carcass of the smallest almost microscopic black ant, 

 the No. 7 of my catalogue. After making this discovery, I examined quite 

 a number of them, and found the abdomen of all alike torn open and emptied 

 disembowelled. They were bringing them from beneath the cook house, 

 where the poor little fellows had been filling themselves with was'e syrup 

 that had been spilled there. This circumstance had been discovered by some 

 of the spies of the erratic ants, and now, as it had been licked np by the little 

 ants, there was no way left for them to possess themselves of ihe rich treasure 

 but to wage war upon the smaller ant, and tear it out of their full sack. And 

 this ihey had already accomplished before I discovered them, and were now 

 carrying home their lacerated carcasses, to have them sucked and dried of 

 their blood and other contained fluids. 



This type of ants is very numerous, courageous, and exceedingly thrifty 

 and belligerent. He will engage in battle with any of the other types. They 

 occasionally succeed in capturing the large, red, agricultural ant. (Myrmka 

 molefaciens, S. B. Buckley.) I did not know then how they had managed to 

 take him ; but they had one of these big red fellows very secure when I first 

 discovered them, and were making a great parade around him. They were 

 clinging two or three to every leg of the large ant, and great numbers were 

 parading and ranting on each side of the road, as they slowly and laboriously 

 moved along with their giant captive, who seemed to be not only in great 

 distress, but very loathe to be carried in the manner and the direction they 

 were so unceremoniously dragging him along. The little black warriors had 

 already deprived him of two or three of his feet, and they were sawing away 

 at the remainder of his legs and feet, whilst he was clinging with his large 

 jaws to a piece of oak leaf; and that the little black fellows were hauling 

 him, leaf and all, to some terrific fate, was manifested by the prisoner in all 

 his actions. I had not time then to wait and see how the affair terminated. 

 Since that case, however, I have witnessed a good many similar ones. It 

 occurs quite frequently. 



The agricultural ant, in his foraging excursions, travels over a wide range, 

 and will not turn his course for anybody. So, when in his course, he falls 

 into a range of confederate cities of the erratic ant, he walks on as carelessly 

 among them as if there was no one at home; and, as a general thing, the 

 sagacious little braves suffer him to pass unmolested, paying but little atten- 

 tion to him. But sometimes he meddles too much, and, putting on airs, con- 

 trary to their notions of propriety, they consider it a national insult, and 



[April. 



