488 PROCEEDINGS OF THE AMERICAN ACADEMY. 



at most, the soldiers take little part in these occupations. Of the 

 minors which were taken empty-mouthed in the field, one was hardly 

 half the normal size, and was very light in color. 



iv. Conclusions from all Studies on Pheidole pilifera. 



1. Only a small portion of the whole colony is engaged in any of 

 the activities of the colony at any one time, whether observed in the 

 laboratory or in the field, though in the field the proportion is larger 

 than in the laboratory. 



2. The proportion of ants engaging in any particular activity is 

 probably not closely correlated with the number of ants in the colony, 

 though in very large colonies more ants take part than in very small 

 ones. 



3. The size of the colony does not seem to make much difference 

 as to kind of ants engaging in the various activities, so long as both 

 classes are present, and there is not great difference in the sizes of the 

 colonies. Moreover, the classes behave in essentially the same manner 

 in this respect whether the colonies are studied in the laboratory or 

 in the field. There are, however, more ants of each kind active in 

 the out- door nests than in the artificial ones, and on the whole, a 

 greater proportion of soldiers are active in the laboratory than in the 

 field. 



4. The minors were much more active than the soldiers in obtaining 

 food for themselves. 



5. No soldiers were seen regurgitating or receiving regurgitated 

 food, but minors regurgitated to minors. 



6. No individuals were seen to eat grass-seed, but a soldier ate 

 *meal-worm when caged in an aluminum nest. 



7. Minors alone took part in carrying in food, with the exception of 

 one soldier which was captured, though soldiers were occasionally seen 

 in the field, and once a soldier was observed carrying a seed from one 

 part of a Barth nest to another. 



8. In scavengering, only minors took part. 



9. No soldiers broke or crushed grass-seed, though such seed is 

 found in the nests, and minors carry it home. Minors, however, have 

 been seen breaking seed. 



10. Both soldiers and minors were seen cutting up a meal-worm. 



11. The minors were active in licking, but I saw only one soldier 

 taking part in this occupation, this one being in a Barth nest. Both 

 classes were licked, but the minors somewhat more frequently than the 

 soldiers. 



12. No soldiers showed any evidence of taking part in tending the 



