HABITS OF ANERGATES. 87 



upon their slaves, and cannot even feed themselves. 

 The whole problem is, therefore, most puzzling and 

 interesting.^ 



As regards Strongylognathus, Von Hagens made two 

 suggestions, the first being that this insect is really a 

 monstrous form of Tetrainorlum. This, however, 

 cannot at any rate be the case with Anergates. On 

 the whole, then, he inclines to think that perhaps the 

 nests containing Strongylognathus or Anergates are 

 only parts of a community, and that the young of the 

 Tetramoriums are in another nest of the same com- 

 munity. This would account for the absence of the 

 young of the Tetramoriums, but would not remove 

 all the difficulties. It is in other respects not 

 consistent with what we know of the habits of ants, 

 and on the whole I agree with Forel in thinking the 

 suggestion untenable. 



The difficulty of accounting for the numbers of 

 Tetramoriums, coupled with the absence of young, 

 was indeed almost insuperable as long as the workers 

 were supposed to live only for one year. My observa- 

 tions, however, which show that even in captivity a 

 nest may continue for five years, place the question in 

 a dififerent position, and give us, I think, a clue. 



On the whole, I would venture to suggest that the 



male and female Anergates make their way into a nest 



' On the contrary, in Tomognathus stMcevis, a Finland species 

 which lives in the nests of Leptotliorax muscorum and L. acervorum, 

 the workers only are known. The male, like that of Anergates, is 



■wins;! ess. 



