THE HONEY ANT. 47 



aided, on and after the 22nd, by another, No. 11. This 

 seems to me very curious. From November 1 to 

 January 5, with two or three casual exceptions, the 

 whole of the supplies were carried in by three ants, 

 one of whom, however, did comparatively little. The 

 other two were imprisoned, and then, but not till then, 

 a fresh ant appears on the scene. She carried in the 

 food for a week ; and then, she being imprisoned, two 

 others undertook the task. On the other hand, in 

 Nest 1, where the first foragers were not imprisoned, 

 they continued during the whole time to carry in the 

 necessary supplies. 



The facts therefore certainly seem to indicate that 

 certain ants are told off as foragers, and that during 

 winter, when little food is required, two or three are 

 sufficient to provide it. 



I have, indeed, no reason to suppose that in our 

 English ants any particular individuals are specially 

 adapted to serve as receptacles of food. M. Wesmael, 

 however, has described ' a remarkable genus (^Myrmeco- 

 cystus mexicanus), brought by M. de Normann from 

 Mexico, in which certain individuals in each nest serve 

 as animated honey-pots. To them the foragers bring 

 their supplies, and their whole duty seems to be to receive 

 the honey, retain it, and redistribute it when required. 

 Their abdomen becomes enormously distended, the in- 

 tersegmental membranes being so much extended that 



' Bull, de VAcad des Sci. de Bruxelles, vol. v. p. 771. 



