AMERICAN HYMENOPTERA. 285 



ended, and that the vanquished and captive queen was about to be 

 sacrificed to the ferocity of her "red" and mercurial adversaries. 

 I hiid the jar aside, made note of the affair, and thought no more of 

 it until the next day, when, chancing to pick up the jar, I found the 

 queen in the very position in which she had first been observed. 

 The same ants, or two others just like them, were hanging to the 

 outstretched antennae, thus holding their huge royal enemy in com- 

 plete durance. More than twenty-four hours had elapsed since the 

 former observation, during which time the combatants had doubtless 

 remained in statu quo. 1 released and turned loose the unhappy car- 

 penter queen, and repeopled my disturbed colony of Fallow ants. 



The most destructive enemy of these, as of other ants, is probably 

 our severe winter. Numbers die under the exposure ; but a remnant 

 become torpid and survive the cold season. I have found little clusters 

 of these very early in the calendar spring, in knot-holes and decayed 

 portions of trees, in a semi-torpid condition. A curious instance of 

 their power to endure the opposite extreme of heat, fell under my 

 notice during the summer encampment above referred to. Our serv- 

 ant had built a rude wall around two sides of the camp-fire, upon the 

 corner of which he had placed a large flat stone. One day he had 

 occasion to remove this stone and found the under side covered with 

 black ants. He called me to the spot, and I observed large numbers 

 of workers and queens, who had evidently taken refuge upon the 

 under part of the slab, from their formicary in a bit of a stump 

 that had been thrown upon the fire. A portion of the stump which 

 touched the top of the wall, had been the means of communication. 

 I found a few ants still on this portion and rescued them. There was 

 quite a large fire in the hearth, and the decayed log in which the ants 

 were housed had been burning for some time. How long the auts had 

 been upon the flat stone I cannot say, neither can I give the exact 

 temperature of the slab. It may well be conjectured, however, that 

 it was quite hot. The ants seemed to be entirely uninjured by the 

 baking, and scampered ofi" into the grass as lively as possible. What 

 most puzzled me was the fact that they remained huddled together 

 upon the under side of the stone, and had not rather sought the 

 upper side which was surely less exposed to the heat. It was perhaps 

 impossible for them to have escaped by running down the wall, ou 

 account of the outbreaking flames and the greater heat of the stones 

 beneath. But it was also a matter of some surprise that the insects 

 had not dropped off the stone and thus escaped. The instinct of 

 association seemed to hold them together in the exigency; and the 

 instinct of self-preservation through their habitual secrecy, had per- 



