316 PROCEEDINGS OF THE ACADEMY OF [1880. 



THE SHINING SLAVEMAKER.— NOTES ON THE ARCHITECTURE AND 



HABITS OF THE AMERICAN SLAVE-MAKING ANT, 



POLYERGUS LUCIDUS. 



By Rev. Henry C. McCook, D. D. 



August 21st, 18*78, at the foot of the Allegheny Mountains, near 

 Altoona (Bellwood, Pa.), I discovered a nest of Polyergus lucidus^ 

 Mayr, the American representative of the well-known European 

 P. rufescens. The latter is the Amazon or Legionary Ant of 

 Huber, and is associated with that author's discovery of compound 

 ant-hills, the term applied to those nests in which certain ants 

 have associated witli them, in a sort of slavery, ants of another 

 species. Huber made a full and interesting account of the pred- 

 atory excursions of P. rufesans^^ and other interesting behavior, 

 which Forel- has recently fully confirmed and completed. It is, 

 however, of interest, to discover the existence of tlie same habits 

 in a elosel}^ allied species in America, and this record is therefore 

 presented. Moreover, there are here some details of architecture 

 which maj^ prove of value in themselves. 



The nest of Lucid us above referred to was situated in the 

 gravelly soil of a valley between the mountains and the Juniata 

 River. Tlie field was sown in clover, and had not been plowed for 

 several years. While passing through the field, I observed several 

 ants resembling at first sight the common mound-makers, i^ormtca 

 exsectoides, issuing from a hole. I stopped to note them more 

 carefully and saw a worker of Pohjergui^ lucidus come out and 

 return to the same nest. I at once began an exploration of the 

 nest, as my time was limited, and professional duties prevented 

 extended studies of tlie out-door habits of tire creatures. There 

 were four gates (fig. 1, PI. 19), separated a few inches from each 

 other. Two were simple tubular openings into tlie ground, about 

 three-fourths of an inch in diameter ; the others were two similar 

 openings removed several inches from the first named, and united 

 by a worn concave road, like a half tube. The four were arranged 

 upon the arc of a circle. The nature of the soil, which was filled 

 with coarse gravel and stones, prevented me from noting (as per- 



1 " Natural History of Ants, " Johnson's translation. London, 1830. 

 ^ "Les Fourmis de la Suisse." 



