502 ANTS* NESTS. 



lice. The road itself is kept very clean, is from 2 to 4 centimeters in 

 width, and is made more or less concave laterally. Not only is no 

 movable object alloAved upon it, not only is it kept always clean and in 

 good order, but the ants, with the expenditure of incredible toil and 

 strength, saw oft' with their mandibles every blade of grass that 

 attempts to grow in the road, as they previously sawed oft" all those 

 which Avere in existence when it was first constructed. Where the 

 tufts of grass are too thick and strong, they go around them, it is true; 

 but the roads usually run comparatively straight to their destination. 

 Many of them are gradually lost in the grass; but as a rule they can 

 be followed to a distance of 20, 30, 40, and in many cases 50 meters 

 from the nest. One must Avatch long, closely, and above all in the 

 spring, to see and understand the road building, and to avoid the 

 impression that the road, as certain authors have thought, comes into 

 existence of itself through the footsteps of the ants. These roads are 

 very luimerously frequented. All the building materials and forage 

 are lirst dispatched to the nearest road, so that they may be carried 

 comfortably from there to the nest. As Formica pratensw has very 

 defective powers of smell, and is not skillful in finding its way, the roads 

 are also of great advantage to it in this respect. There are only two 

 directions on them, and it is no longer compelled to search laboriously 

 for the right way. It can be seen, too, how rapidly and confidently the 

 ants move to and fro on their roads, in contrast to their behavior in the 

 grass. (Compare Forel: Collections of Swiss Zoology, Vol. lY, No. 4, 

 1888.) 



The agricultural ants of Texas {Pogonomyrmex barhaUcs Smith, P. 

 molefaciens Buckley) make a large clearing around their nests, accord 

 iug to Lincecum and MacCook, and numerous roads, in addition, by 

 sawing off' the blades of grass, like our Forink-a pratensin. 



11.— REVIEW— THE ANT WORLD— LANDSCAPE TYPES OF THE ANTS' 

 NESTS— POLYCALIC COLONIES. 



Even among us in Switzerland, a close investigation of the meadows, 

 the dry declivities of the mountains, the clearings of the Avoods and 

 thickets suffices to show us speedily that almost everything is invaded 

 by the structures of ants. Where there are no actual nests there are 

 underground passages and galleries, open roads, covered ways, or, at 

 least, the inhabitants of neighboring nests, who are scouting around 

 and contending Avith one another for the possession of the jdants con- 

 taining ]dant lice and cochineal kermes, of the trees, the flowers, and 

 the insect plunder. I have even seen young birds Avhich had just 

 slipi)ed out of the nest killed and devoured by Formica prateitsis in 

 spite of the frantic rage of the parent birds. The ants certainly, no 

 less than men, fancy themselves the lords of creation, for, thanks to 

 their social organization, their numbers, and their courage, they have 

 few foes to fear; their most formidable enemies are always other 



