APHIDES AND ANTS. 101 



Gould in early days noted these black eggs and 

 mistook them for the female eggs of the ants. 



It was not till March, 1880, that the hatching of 

 these eggs was witnessed by Sir J. Lubbock who saw 

 the process ; and the produce of these eggs differed 

 entirely from the subterranean species often found in 

 such situations. 



" Near one of my nests of Lasius flavus, in which I 

 had placed some of the eggs in question, was a glass 

 containing living specimens of several species of plants 

 commonly found on or around ants' nests. To these 

 some of the young Aphides were brought by the 

 ants. Shortly afterwards I observed on a plant of 

 daisy, in the axils of the leaves, some small Aphides 

 very much resembling those from my nest, though we 

 had not actually traced them continuously. They 

 seemed thriving and remained stationary on the daisy. 

 Moreover, whether they had sprung from the black 

 eggs or not, the ants evidently valued them, for they 

 built up a wall of earth round and over them. So 

 things remained throughout the summer ; but on 

 October 9th I found that the Aphides had laid some 

 eggs exactly resembling those found in the ant's nest ; 

 and on examining daisy plants from outside, I found 

 on many of them similar Aphides and more or less of 

 the same eggs. I confessed these observations sur- 

 prised me very much." ..." Here are Aphides 

 not living in the ant's nest, but outside on the leaf 

 stalks of plants. The eggs are laid early in October 

 on the food plant of the insect. They are of no direct 

 use to the ants, yet they are not left where they are 

 laid, where they would be exposed to the severity of 

 the weather and to innumerable dangers, but brought 

 into their nests by the ants, and tended by them with 

 the utmost care through the long winter months, until 

 the following March, when the young ones are brought 

 out and again placed on the young shoots of the daisy. 

 This seems to me a most remarkable case of prudence. 

 Our ants may not perhaps lay up food for the winter, 



