336 HALF liOUJlS WITH INSECTS. [Packard. 



Now two of these species of harvesting ants, noticed by Mr. 

 Moggridge, inhabit France and Switzerland as well as Italy, 

 but are not known to have this habit north of the Alps, so 

 that it appeared probable to him, "that they do store in the 

 south, but not in the north." Here we have one of the most 

 striking cases on record of an entire change of habit in the 

 same species in different climates. 



One would think that the seeds stored up in this way 

 would germinate, and be a source of trouble to the ants. 

 They treat them, however, in such a way as to prevent their 

 germination. Tiiousands of seeds from twenty-one nests 

 were examined and only twenty-seven in seven nests sliowed 

 traces of germination, though our author on removing the 

 seeds from the granaries and planting them found that they 

 readily grew. "When," he says, "the seeds do germinate 

 in the nests, and it is my belief that they are usually soft- 

 ened and made to sprout before they are consumed by the 

 ants, it is ver}^ curious to see how the growth is checked in 

 its earliest stage, and how, after the radicle or fibril — the 

 first growing root of dicotyledonous and monocotyledonous 

 seeds — has been gnawed off, they are brought out from the 

 nest and placed in the sun to dry, and then, after a sufficient 

 exposure, carried below into the nest. The seeds are thus 

 in effect malted, the starch being changed into sugar, and I 

 have myself witnessed the avidit}^ with which the contents 

 of seeds thus treated are devoured by the ants." 



While everything may go on harmoniously in one colony, 

 ants are nevertheless extremel}' sensitive to the code of 

 honor, and protracted duels take place between different 

 colonies of the same species as well as of different species. 

 Moggridge says that the most savage and prolonged con- 

 tests which he has witnessed were those in which the comba- 

 tants belonged to two different colonies of the same species. 

 ^^Atta barbara will carry on the battle day after day and 

 week after week. I was able to devote a good deal of time 



16 



