68 HARVESTING ANTS. 



could there be in eating it? The season of the year when I 

 observed them (November) is the beginning of the cold 

 ■weather, and no rain would probably fall (excepting a little at 

 Christmas) till next May or June. Later on seed would be 

 rare ; and how the nest fares at a time when floods of water 

 often pass over the plain I cannot conceive. 



" It is clear that some escape, and we know with what pro- 

 digious rapidity these colonies increase. But these jottings 

 have been recorded merely to show how this species of ant 

 store grain against a time of scarcity, and fully bear out the 

 statement in the text with which I commenced this paper." 



The following are Dr. Buchanan White's notes, alluded to 

 above, published in the Transactions of the Entomological 

 Society (London, 1872) part i.. Proceedings, p. v. : — 



"Capri, June 3, ]866. In the afternoon to the Punta 

 Tragara, where a colony of ants afforded us much amusement. 

 These little insects had a regular road, made by cutting away 

 the grass and other plants in their way. This road was about 

 one inch and a half wide, and several yards long, and led to 

 a clump of plants in seed. Along this road a long train of 

 ants were perpetually travelling to the nest {or formicarium), 

 bearing with them pods of leguminous plants, seeds of grass 

 and of Composites [Chrysanth. segetwni), &c. 



" The perseverance with which a single ant would tug and 

 draw a pod four times his own length was very interesting ; 

 sometimes three or four ants would unite in carrying one 

 burden. Near the formicarium was a great mass of debris, 

 consisting of empty pods, twigs, emptied snail shells, &c., cast 

 out by the ants. The seeds appeared to be stored inside the 

 nest, as in one that I opened the other day I found a large 

 collection. The species was a black ant ; the formicarium 

 was underground." 



D. 



0)1 Collecting and Bxamining Ants. 



There are very few branches of natural history which might 

 be more easily followed b}' a traveller, or one who fears to 



