ANtS 130 



normal form, but certain individuals of each nest 

 of the species are crammed with a honey secretion, 

 (probably obtained by the workers from aphids and 

 psyllids), until the abdomen swells out of all pro- 

 portion to the rest of the ant ; the "honey pot" ants 

 remain hanging about the bottom of the nests like a 

 number of bottles of honey, incapable of leaving the 

 nests; the supply is probably used as food for the 

 larvae. Baldwin Spencer says that the blacks dig 

 up these nests and look upon the "honey pots" as 

 great luxuries. The honey is sweet with an acrid 

 fluid, which tastes like the honey of our native bees. 

 They are apparently common in central Australia. 



Food of the Larvae or Ant Grubs. — The food of 

 the larvae of many ants is also varied. As before 

 mentioned the more primitive ants feed the ant- 

 babies on flesh, just as they eat it themselves (bull- 

 dogs and driver ants). Most ants feed their 

 larvae on regurgitated food. Certain species, such 

 as Camponotids {Polyrhachis and Caniponotus). 

 Dolichoderids {Iridiomyrmex and Dolichoderus), feed 

 their larvce only by regurgitating liquid food from 

 their mouths. We have observed these ants on 

 honey dew on leaves, seeking the nectar of flowers 

 such as the pigeon berry (Monofoca), grass tree 

 (Xanthorrhoea), Leptospcrmum, 



Other ants feed their young on both regurgitated 

 liquid and on solids so that iu' times of dearth of cer- 

 tain foods, they can adapt themselves to other kinds. 



The Nests of Ants (Plate tq).— The nests of 

 ants are usually in the ground, and the arrangement 

 and size of the nest depends on the species of 



