NOTES ON INDIAN ANTS. 61 



the Alipore side of Fort William. I visited this nest two or three 

 evenings a week for some months, feeling certain that some evening 

 my persistence would be rewarded by finding the ants swarming and 

 capturing the female ; but I was doomed to disappointment, for on 

 o-oin"- to the tank one evening I found the water had been let in, and 

 it was being filled for military purposes. I next took the workers in 

 some considerable number in a purchase of pot-plants made at an 

 auction sale at Mackenzie Lyall's ; but my next real nest was at Scandal 

 Point, Barrackpore Park, in the earth, and sheltered by one of the 

 wooden seats which are erected there. I examined it very carefully, 

 probing the burrow with a straw, but, though the workers sallied out in 

 some numbers, there was no sign of a female. I was uncertain 

 whether to dig the nest up then and there, or to watch it for some 

 indication of swarming before disturbing the ants. I unfortunately 

 decided on the latter course, for when I went to the spot the next 

 evening- there was not an ant to be seen. 



My next nest was found in a small brick culvert leading from the 

 old bear-pit, Barrackpore Park, and was formed under a lot of 

 rubbish made up of bits of brick and decayed leaves. This was a 

 fairly populous little colony, and looked a very likely find, and I 

 visited it for several weeks, until one of the Park malis (gardeners), 

 siezed with an extraordinary fit of industry, took it into his head to 

 clear out and tidy up this old drain, which had not been disturbed for 

 years. After this I did not find what might be considered a genuine 

 nest until 1886, but stray lots of the workers could often be found 

 about the Park, particularly at the back of the lions' and tigers' cages, 

 where the old bones were thrown, and which you could generally 

 count on finding covered with the workers ; indeed, an old bone or 

 piece of meat seemed to be an irresistible bait to the workers of 

 Dorylm. 



The males are never found with the workers, but come into your 

 bungalow at night, attracted by the light, generally at dinner-time, 

 when the lamps being turned up the white cloth forms a special 

 attraction ; they come buzzing in and blunder about the room much like 

 a Scarabceus beetle, and when handled they work vigorously about 

 with their bodies and clip you with the strong claspers of their genital 

 armature. They are by no means uncommon, but what is very 



