BUCKINGH-VM. — DIVISION OF LABOR AMONG ANTS. 487 



first soldier made its appearance, and with its h.nge jaws began to cut 

 the meal-worm, always returning to the nest after every three or four 

 cuts had been made. After a time the ants tried to carry the whole 

 carcass into the nest, but found it too large, so they only succeeded 

 in moving it to the entrance. I do not feel sure whether or not the 

 soldier carried any pieces into the nest, but the minors certainly did, 

 and they also broke off little bits. If the soldier carried nothing back 

 into the nest, I am at a loss to explain why it kept returning there. 

 This is the only time I have seen such a performance. It would 

 seem that while the soldiers of this species sometimes cut up in- 

 sects in the field, it is not very common for them to do so ; but 

 perhaps this sort of work is carried on to a greater extent within 

 the nest. 



In regard to fighting, I tried a number of times throwing down a 

 colony of Lasius (sp 1) upon a Pheidole nest. Sometimes no fight fol- 

 lowed, the ants of the two species not happening to meet each other ; 

 but when a struggle did ensue, the soldiers were much more sluggish 

 than the minors, which attacked Lasius vigorously. Even when the 

 soldiers came in contact with the enemy, they did not succeed in grasp- 

 ing them, though they snapped at them. Possibly the Lasius workers 

 were too quick for them, or the jaws of the Pheidole soldiers are not 

 adapted for grasping the legs of Lasius. However, I have already 

 (pp. 481-482) given evidence to show that the soldiers of Pheidole 

 pilifera do fight. Forel ('74, p. 246) describes the different manner 

 in which ants fight with enemies larger or smaller than themselves. 

 When the enemy is larger, the small ants try to grasp its antennae or 

 its legs, which is just what happened when Pheidole was fighting with 

 Camponotus. But Lasius, though slightly larger than Pheidole, was 

 more nearly of the size of Pheidole, and the small workers were there- 

 fore better able to cope with Lasius than with Camponotus. 



From the field-notes on Pheidole pilifera, then, it appears that the 

 minors are, on the whole, much more active than the soldiers. The 

 soldiers in the field appeared very sluggish, moved more slowly than 

 the minors, and were rarely occupied. 



2. Captured A fits. — The studies on captured specimens of Pheidole 

 pilifera yielded the following results: Out of a total number of 288 

 ants collected in the field, around the natural nests, only four were 

 soldiers. Of these 288 ants, 92 minors and only one soldier carried 

 food. There were thirty-seven minors and no soldiers captured build- 

 ing, i. e. carrying earth out of the nests ; five minors and no soldiers 

 tending the young under conditions causing excitement ; one soldier 

 being carried, and two minors carrying. From this it. is evident that, 



