1852.1 Linnean Society. 173 



Mr. Daniell states that his attention was first attracted to this 

 species of Ant some years ago by observing several individuals 

 engaged, in the window of a house in Edwards Street, Portman 

 Square, in dragging to the edge of the casement a large fly, which 

 they finally succeeded in conveying through an opening in the wall. 

 He found by repeated observations that, like the other species of 

 Ants, they uniformly followed the same track, passing and repassing, 

 but never deviating from the beaten route. There appeared to be a 

 regular chain of correspondence kept up throughout the track ; and 

 one of the ants while travelling at its usual rapid rate was frequently 

 observed to be stopped by another, a communication passing between 

 them by means of their antennae, after which each would return in 

 the opposite direction from that in which they were previously 

 travelling. The track was found to terminate on the ground floor, 

 where it disappeared in the party wall, the adjoining house being 

 occupied by a btiker, who stated that in the summer months these 

 ants were a perfect nuisance to him, spreading themselves over all 

 his goods, and especially the sweet cakes and sugar, of which they 

 carried off incredible quantities. He indicated on his premises 

 numerous tracks, traversed by myriads of these minute insects, each 

 engaged in carrying off a grain of sugar or some other description 

 of food to their dwelling-place, which appeared to be in the wall of 

 the cellar, by the side of the oven, and whence he found it impos- 

 sible to dislodge them. To diminish their numbers he was in the 

 habit of hanging against the wall a boiled sheep's liver, which they 

 speedily covered, and then plunging it into boiling water ; but even 

 this wholesale destruction had little apparent effect in thinning their 

 ranks. In the same vault there were also multitudes of crickets 

 {Gryllus domesticus) and black-beetles (Blatta orientalis, L.), in every 

 stage of growth and variety of colour, from the deep black to the 

 pale albino ; all of which appeared to entertain the gi-eatest dread of 

 these apparently insignificant creatures, retreating precipitately 

 when they found themselves in the vicinity of a track, while several 

 of the ants would immediately rush out of the line to chastise their 

 intrusion. 



It now occurred to Mr. Daniell that he might make the laborious 

 habits and fondness for animal food evinced by these ants serviceable 

 to himself in the preparation of skeletons. With this view he 

 placed some mice and small birds in boxes against the wall, but 

 although the ants immediately attacked them, so great was the heat 

 of the oven that the subjects were dried hard, and generally 

 abandoned after the brains had been eaten out. Several other 



