446 mocKEDixos of the academy of [-July, 



rearing as the above, were introduced the same day into an abso- 

 lutely alien community, B-b, were instantly attacked, and were 

 dismembered and then fed to the larvjc or eaten ])y the ants. 



Four adult workers, two majors and two minors, that I took in 

 August, 1900, from an apple-core by the roadside and isolated in 

 a Petri cell, on December 4 killed two alien callows that had just 

 come from the pupa-stage in C-d nest. The next day they 

 received three amber pup;c from C-d nest, and one of these pup»? 

 that same day became an ant, and of it the adult ants appeared 

 to be very fond. On the 6th and 8th of December they killed 

 two of its sisters, introduced when but a few hours old into their 

 cell. On December 9, when the callow hatched in this cell was 

 four days old, I put in an ant only seven hours old, also from the 

 C-d nest. The four-day-old callow was the first to meet the baby 

 ant in the Petri cell. It licked its junior from end to end, and 

 Avhen the adults repeatedly approached and snapped with their 

 mandibles at the latest comer, the older callow stood over and 

 appeared to wittingly protect the younger. It then picked up the 

 baby ant, which was a minim quite as large as itself, and carried 

 it into the shade of the sponge where two pupre were attended by the 

 adult ants. There it stood between the adults and the baby, giving 

 attention alternately to it and to the pupj^e, and often touching the 

 adults with its antennre, until after many minutes the adults left 

 all to its care. From that time the adults showed no further hostil- 

 ity toward the younger minim, and it continued to live in that cell. 



While it is generally true thai Stenamma fulvuni pieeum will cap- 

 ture and care for the eggs, larvre and pupre of alien colonies, they 

 do not invariably rear these to adult life. 



A queen alone will not usually accept any worker from an alien 

 colony, but persistent effort may induce her to accept a very young 

 worker. 



A queen alone with her eggs will not usually accept alien pupa?. 

 She carries them away and casts them in her rubbish heap. But 

 if alien larvic are introduced she will accept them, and then she 

 will later on accept ])upro from the same stock. She will at any 

 time accept alien eggs. 



Queens assisted by numerous workers will receive alien eggs, 

 larvic or pupaj, separately or together, the workers assuming 

 immediate charge of them. 



