1883.] NATURAL SCIENCES OF PHILADELPHIA. 305 



second larva was covered in like manner, and the third by the 

 evening of the 22d. For some days he was able to detect the dark 

 form of the young ant in one of these cocoons, and on the evening 

 of Aug. II a worker was running about the bottle and already 

 essaying its ministrations upon the undeveloped eggs and the 

 next series of larvae, quite as big and much heavier than itself. 

 We have, then, the period from, say June 20 to July 20 (thirty 

 days), occupied in the development of the first eggs and the ful- 

 filment of the larval stage; from July 20 to August 11, say 

 twenty-two days, were spent in the pupa state. 



The manner of the young worker was very nervous and far from 

 soothing, especially to the well grown larvje, who evidently much 

 prefer a mother's care to that of an elder sister. He did not 

 observe this antling feeding from the sugar, but upon one or two 

 occasions saw osculatory advances towards its mother which 

 seemed to indicate that it was not above receiving its nutriment 

 from the maternal fount to which it became accustomed during its 

 wriggling youth. It constantly climbed over the eggs and larvae, 

 apparently nipping them with its mandibles, but not moving them 

 to any purpose. He saw no well-defined attempt at feeding them 

 on its part ; though, after patient observation, upon several occa- 

 sions, he observed this act performed by the parent ant. She Avould 

 caress the larva by sundry pats with her antennae upon each side 

 of the face, when, if hungry, it would lift up its head under her 

 mandibles, placing its labium against hers, at which time a flow of 

 liquid down the larval throat was seen. 



As the queen's labors increased, she was less given to moving 

 her charges from place to place, though thej^ were not allowed to 

 remain long quiescent. While nervously anxious about them, Mr. 

 Potts thought that she showed little evidence of tenderness in 

 her treatment, trampling on them with her feet or di-agging them 

 around under her heavy abdomen, as if they were really the putty 

 they looked like. 



The moisture necessary for the cleansing and growth of the 

 larvae was apparently supplied from the tongue of the caretaker, 

 yvho exjimined them one after another, moistening the dry places 

 and keeping the egg and larval skins flexible. The queen was 

 very careful of the eggs, standing nearly all the time with her 

 head over the little heap, occasionally picking them up to move 

 them a quarter of an inch or more to one side. She was thrown 

 into a great excitement of solicitude when a fly, attracted by the 

 crumbs, intruded within her domicile. She sprang fiercely at the 

 fly and raged around her narrow compartment, seizing a group 

 of eggs as if to escape with them from a threatened danger, then 

 replacing them as though recognizing the impossibility of getting 

 away. Her demeanor on this occasion indicated strong maternal 

 solicitude. 



Mr. Potts made some attempt to follow the embrj'onic changes, 

 and made a few drawings of the different phases.' When first 



