152 S. B. Buckley on North American FormiciJee. 



Descriptions of new species of North American FOKMICID-E. 

 BY S. B. BUCKLEY. 



About five years ago, while we were enframed in the Geological Pur- 

 vey of Texas, our attention was frequently drawn to the Ants and their 

 wonderful works, which, in Texas, evince so much intelligence, indus- 

 try and perseverance, as to attract the attention of the most ordinary 

 observer. Finally, although pressed with other duties, we gave a large 

 portion of our leisure to collecting them and observing their habits, 

 which we have continued to do up to the present time, with much 

 pleasure and satisfaction. 



The following described species were collected by us, unless other- 

 wise stated. 



To Mr. Edward Norton, of Connecticut, the well-known Entomolo- 

 gist, who has made the Hymenoptera a special study, we are indebted 

 for many European species (which are useful for comparison.) and also 

 for many new American species, as will be seen in the following 

 pages. 



We are also under obligations to Dr. J.L. LeConte of Philadelphia, for 

 access to his valuable entomological library, and for the loan of a French 

 Edition of Latreille's Histoire Naturelle des Fourmis, which contains 

 figures of 75 species of Ants. This work, although old, is still of great 

 service in the study of this Family, because subsequent authors often 

 refer to its figures. 



The large libraries of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadel- 

 phia, and of the Entomological Society of the same city, have afforded 

 the greatest aid; for without their assistance, the following descriptions 

 could not have been written. Most of what has been published on 

 Ants, is scattered through the publications of learned Societies, which 

 are found in but few of the libraries in our country. 



Dr Gideon Lincecum, Sen'r, of Washington Co., Texas, has col- 

 lected 34 species of Ants in his neighborhood, aud although we have 

 also found most of them, still the Doctor has given valuable assistance. 



Mr. Frederick Smith, in his Catalogue of the Hymenoptera in the 

 British Museum, states that there are 490 species of Ants on record. 



Mr. Bates, who has collected for some years in Brazil, thinks the 

 number of species in the Valley of the Amazon, cannot be less than 400. 



There are about 100 species of Ants in Europe. Nylnnder enu- 

 merates 68 species in France aud Algiers. There are probably at 



