OBSERVATIONS ON ANTS. 165 



necessary. Water can be placed in a shallow tin lid, 

 or a piece of sponge kept moist, can be placed in the 

 open, light part of the nest. In some cases it is 

 advisable to have only the darkened part of the home 

 covered, and to allow the rest of the box to be quite 

 uncovered by glass. 



The home is ready for the ants, and now an 

 account of some actual observations will be given. 



Observation on ants by Miss M. N. Brewster 

 from "The Australian Naturalist." 

 Observation i. — Ants: Polyrhachis ammon, or Golden 

 Bodied Ant. 



Brought from Heathcote in December. 



The ants with larvae and pupae were placed in a 

 tin box fixed to a stand which was put in a shallow 

 enamelled dish full of water. The adults rushed 

 about madly at first, scrambling over each other, 

 many falling into the water, to be rescued and 

 placed back again. Gradually their actions became 

 milder as they explored every square centi-metre of 

 their home, and in twenty minutes had settled down 

 in their new surroundings. They then began to 

 make the larvae and pupae comfortable, for during 

 this period the latter had remained neglected. 



They first seized the large pupae containing 

 queens or males and placed them in a corner, then 

 they took some of the smaller pupae (workers), and 

 placed them close to some of the larger pupae. They 

 then seized the larvae, and put them on some of the 

 pupae ; they took some of the pupae lying on the 



