ANTS 14t 



of the hollow. It gradually disappears within this 

 rather tough cocoon, and the busy workers remove 

 it to the "pupal chamber," where the cocoons or 

 pupae are kept by themselves. When the adult is 

 I nearly ready to emerge, the workers seem to be able 

 to find out, for they go round (in some species) and 

 tap the pupae with their antennae, and when the 

 time of emergence is come they cut open the co- 

 coon and aid the adult (cither male, female, or 

 worker) to emerge. This is described in detail 

 later on. 



The Worker Ant. — The worker ants are just as 

 clean and careful over their own bodies as they are 

 of the larvae, queen, and newly emerged adults. 

 Nature has fitted them with wonderful appliances 

 to enable them to do this. There is a comb, or 

 strigil (See Plate 20, Figs. 5 and 6.) This is a 

 highly modified tibial spur (a spur on the tibia or 

 fore-leg) of the front legs. It is a semi-circular 

 comb with teeth present. On a very enlarged joint 

 of the foot is a corresponding semi-circular structure 

 and these two combs fit together to form one cir- 

 cular comb. The hind pair of legs and the antennae 

 are drawn through this to remove any adhering par- 

 { tides of sand, etc. This is very necessary to ants 

 which live in sandy soil. The ant may also have 

 a tuft of hairs on the lower surface of the head, 

 and these hairs are *'comb-cleaners." Professor 

 Wheeler says that "the combs are passed along 

 these hairs just as we clean a comb by means of 

 threads." We noticed that on all the legs of Cam- 

 ponotus and Myrmccia (bulldog ant) there was a 



