432 MORRIS M. WELLS 



inconvenience. It is to be hoped that they will come into imme- 

 diate and general use. 



GENERAL FACTS CONCERNING ANT BEHAVIOR 



Atta laevigata, a Brazilian ant (5), cuts up leaves and carries 

 them into its nest only at night. It begins work after sun- 

 down and quits just before dawn. Atta cephalotcs, the common 

 leaf -cutting ant, also works only at night, except for a few small 

 forms which may carry sand about during the day. Light seems 

 to play an important part in the lives of these species. Ants 

 in general seem to be very sensitive to light and moisture. Mann 

 (12) records that Eciton filosum prefers to travel under ground 

 and when it comes to an impassable barrier constructs an earthen 

 tunnel over it. This behavior is very much like that of the 

 termites which are very negative to light and require constant 

 access to moisture. Snyder (16) says that the center of activity 

 in termite colonies is governed to a considerable extent by the 

 wetness of the season. In moist springs the outlying galleries 

 are teeming with life while in the summer these galleries are 

 too dry to be used. In arid regions termites burrow deep into 

 the ground all the year round, as they do in summer only in 

 moister localities. In temperate regions they enter the ground 

 in October and November and do not emerge till February or 

 March. Termites can work in dry, hard wood and in other 

 dry substances far from the ground, provided there is access 

 somewhere to damp earth. They use a mixture of moist earth 

 and finely digested excreted wood in creating more favorable 

 conditions of moisture and shelter, while extending their galleries. 

 They pass over concrete and brick by means of small shelter 

 sheds which they construct across the obstacle. In the South- 

 west (Texas and Arizona) there is a species of termite that lives 

 in the grass-lands and is able to live on the grass above the 

 ground by covering the stems with earthen tubes. 



Concerning the general habits of termites, Snyder (16) says 

 that in North America they do not construct permanent nests 

 but change their location from time to time. An average col- 

 ony contains several thousand individuals while an old, long 

 established colony, may be inhabited by tens of thousands. 

 The increase in numbers in a young colony is slow. Snyder 

 further states that termites usually follow the grain when working 



