472 PROCEEDINGS OF THE AMERICAN ACADEMY. 



difference in regard to capability and strength of individuals of a given 

 age in different species is stated by Wheeler (:00^ p. 63). He says that 

 newly hatched queens, as well as worker callows, of Stigmatomma are 

 soon able to run about and to join in the labors of the colony ; and they 

 are not so feeble as the callows of more specialized ants. He also says 

 (Wheeler, :07^ p. 87) that the callows of many ants confine themselves 

 to caring for the larvae and pupae, and do not forage till later. 



The difference of brightness occurs in Camponotus herculeanus pictus, 

 especially in the thorax, and it has occurred to me to make use of the 

 specimens collected at Randolph, N. H. (see p. 445), in order to see if 

 there is correlation between brightness and various occupations. Of 

 course, as Wasmann (:09^ p. 39) points out, there is some individual 

 variation in the length of time required for the color to reach its maxi- 

 mum darkness, but it is probable that on the whole the hghter ants 

 are younger, and their strength less developed. 



In order to resolve this problem I proceeded as follows : The mounted 

 specimens which had been captured at Randolph, N. H., sharing in 

 particular activities, were first classified according to those activities, 

 and then the ants of each activity were arranged according to color, 

 and compared. 



2. Observations. — On the whole, the number of light or brightly 

 colored ants was small, but they were of all classes. When the sepa- 

 rate activities were observed, the following facts were noticed : 



1. In foraging, there were none of the very youngest, though there 

 were a few somewhat lighter than those of the deepest color. 



2. There were a few ants engaged in " tending the young " which 

 showed signs of being very callow, since they were of such light color 

 that even the legs were very pale. I remember noticing when I col- 

 lected these that they had not obtained their full strength. There 

 were a good many ants of different sizes in which the thorax had a very 

 bright color, and thus seemed to be young. Most of those which were 

 tending the young under excitement had reached their maximum 

 darkness, though there were a few which were fairly young. 



3. Of the few ants w^hich were taken in the act of surrounding a 

 queen, none had obtained their full color, and yet not any were very 

 light colored. This was probably a young brood, the first from that 

 queen, for the queen herself showed signs of being young, and there 

 were only a very few ants in the colony. 



4. While most of the ants engaged in building were of full color, 

 there were a very few brightly colored ones. 



5. While some of the ants which were being carried were of the 

 maximum depth of color, it is somewhat curious that the majority 



