wheeler: ants of the genus formica. 483 



Host (Temporary). F.fusca var. suhscricca. 



Type locality. — New Hampshire (Forel). 



New Hampshire: Canobie Lake (G. B. King); Franeonia (Mrs. 

 A. T. Slosson); Raymond (W. Reiff). 



Georgia: Rabun Bald Mountain (W. T. Davis). 



North Carohna: Black Mountain (Forel). 



Maryland: Baltimore (E. A. Andrews); Prince George County 

 (W.T.' Davis). 



New Jersey: Newfoundland (W. T. Da-sds and Wheeler) ; Palisades ; 

 Alpine (W. Beutenmiiller) ; Westfield, Scotch Plains, Halifax, Pater- 

 son (Wheeler); Tenafly (G. v. Krockow). 



Pennsylvania: Hollidaysburg, Warrior's Mark, etc., (H. C. Mc- 

 Cook); Lehigh Water Gap, Beatty (P. J. Schmitt). 



New York: Staten Island (W. T. Davis); Ramapo Mts., Bronx- 

 ville (Wheeler); West Farms (J. Angus); Garrison-on-Hudson (T. 

 D. A. Cockerell). 



Connecticut : Branford, North Haven, New Haven (H. L. Viereck) ; 

 New Hartford, Stafford (W. E. Britton); Cromwell, Hartford (Forel); 

 Colebrook (Wheeler) . 



Massachusetts : Sherborn, Wellesley (A. P. Morse) ; Essex County, 

 Mt. Tom (G. B. King); Lowell, Tyngsboro (F. Blanchard); Lake 

 Pleasant (Carey); Warwick (Miss Edwards); Woods Hole, Forest 

 Hills, Blue Hills (Wheeler); Worcester (Forel). 



Maine: Oguncjuit (H. S. Pratt); South Harpswell (Wheeler). 



Illinois: (M. C. Tanquary). 



Wisconsin: Prairie du Chien (H. Muckermann). 



Ontario: Toronto (R. J. Crew). 



Nova Scotia: Round Hill (Centr. Exp. Farms Coll.). 



This is the well-known " mound-building ant of the Alleghenies," the 

 habits of which were described many years ago by Rev. H. C. Mc- 

 Cook, who studied its huge colonies (one of them comprising some 

 1,600 nests!) in the mountains of Pennsylvania. The nests are large 

 conical mounds, often 2.5 ft. high and 9.5 ft. in convex diameter, 

 consisting very largely of earth, and erected in clearings in the woods. 

 I have shown that the females establish their colonies by temporary 

 parasitism in small colonies of F. fusca var. suhsericea. Old colonies 

 are frequently extinguished or compelled to move to new quarters by 

 the growth of a carpet of moss {Polytrickum. commune) over the sur- 

 face of the nest. F. exsectoidcs is a very fierce ant and furiously 

 attacks any intruder on its preserves. It kills other ants by decapi- 

 tating them, a habit which seems to be peculiar to the members of the 

 exsecta group. 



