ants' nests. ^^^ 



,Bts iust as mei, nre for otber men. In tl,e tropical world tl.e stnig- 

 ^ii existence is nu.cb fiercer tl.an with us, au.l the ants, w.tl> tUe.r 

 tamense nun.ber of species, play a much more nnportant 1«"'; ^1 eir 

 nest structures there, too, are correspondingly iar n.ore var.od and 

 L,lay far more singular and complicated adaptations as the ■•■suits of 

 tlu- flgl.t for life. The future will develop n.any still n.ore aston.slnng 



■^"we'wilTnow only give a glance at the n.ost ordinary ant structures 

 ■with respect to the nature of the ground. 



n the meadows we find, above all, the n.nund structures ot earth, but 

 side by side with them the mixed mounds of Vomica pratemu,san- 

 ',ri«« and |.m«/a?.™, together with pure excavated nests. On detr- 

 ? rind decdivities, we find chiefly nests under stones, and the same 

 upon mountains generally. In the forest we find the m.ghty m„un,b< 

 TFormUa rufi,, mecto.--i.., and c.r.«f«, frequently gathered mto arge 

 united kingdon^s, containing many nests (polycahc colonies) and al o 

 r tree ne'sts of U.U.s Mi^ino... ^^- ^'■"«»»'' f ^f^^;;!. '':™ ' 

 lemms, Llonietopum microcephalum, etc. Genuine that is *» say ree, 

 trre n^sts of pasteboard or web in the boughs of trees do not occur m 

 Eur< >e Laitly, in the forest clearings, the edges of the woods, and m 

 S ketsweflnd a rich mixture of the three above-named landscape 

 typfs with respect to ants' nests. The meadow type the forest type, 

 a',d the detritus or declivity type are here mingled l'« l'"''": 



The nest structure in the desert, as I have been 'J'^^'Wed to ea, n by 

 observation in southern Tunis, forms a, peculiar type. Tlie.e al s 

 exc-r'4'ed in the sand. There are neither mounds nor stones, but at 

 most hiHocks of sand around the openings of the nests. 



My object has been merely to give, by the aid of «ta«;"g^, a ^h- 

 view of our present knowledge of the nest 1^";M;"8 "f ^^^ ^ ^ ' ' f^ ° 

 communicate some new facts iu connection with it. I trust that 



"'to tnciude, it is a pleasure to me to express my ".-«-' ^J;;;;;.^;*" 

 mv friend Mr. Lndwig Scbroter for his successlal drawings ; to P. olesso 

 SdiS f or his kind assistance, his suggestions, and his advice; ad 

 to e persons who procured me my excellent materials, especially my 

 friellds Mr! Wrought«n, Dr. Frick, Professor Emery, Dr. Liengme, and 

 Professor Mayr. 



EXPLANATION OF PLATES LV, LVT. 

 A ^all inhabited by rol„rhachls gerstacken Fohel, from Delagoa Bay, Soutli 

 A. The gall from the outside; op., the egress opening of the gall piod.u.i, 

 B i:::' l:^n:i^iou through the gall, showing the cavity and its filling 



Eonjit J:trl:s'r:;;trof X stalU of .o,... .<.e«..«., iVom Antam. 

 'Iw^Madagascar, inhabited by Tee/m«,H,,v... «/^i2>.. SM- 

 by Pere Cambou^. The marrow of the stalk has been a.vuled b, the 

 ants into chambers. Two-thirds natural size. 



Fig. 1. 



