THE ENTOMOLOGIST. 85 



exodus of the winged individuals is taking place. The 

 workers clear the roads of exit, and show the most lively 

 interest in their departnre, allliough it is highly improbable 

 that any of them will return to the same colony. The 

 swarming or exodus of the winged males and females of the 

 Saiiba ant takes place in January and February, that is, at 

 the commencement of the rainy season. They come out in 

 the evening in vast numbers, causing quite a commotion in 

 the streets and lanes." We have quoted this passage from 

 Mr. Bates' fascinating book because of the great similarity 

 and dissimilarity in the movements of the two species at this 

 period of their existence. Remembering, at the time, the 

 above remarks concerning the South American species, we 

 looked carefully for the workers, in this instance, and failed 

 to discover above a dozen wingless ants above ground, and 

 these were plodding about very indifferent, as it appeared to 

 us, to the fate or welfare of their winged brothers. On 

 digging down a few inches wc could find but comparatively 

 few individuals in the nest, and could detect no movements 

 on their parts that referred to the exodus of winged indi- 

 viduals then going on. On the other hand, the time of day 

 agrees with the remarks of Mr. Bates. When we first 

 noticed them, about 4 p.m., they had probably just com- 

 menced their "flight." It continued until nearly 7 p.m., or a 

 considerable time after sundown. The next morning there 

 was not an individual, winged or wingless, to be seen above 

 ground ; the nest itself was comparatively empty ; and what 

 few occupants there were seemed to be in a semi-torpid con- 

 dition. Were they simply resting after the fatigue and 

 excitement of yesterday ? It was not possible for us to 

 calculate what proportion of these winged ants were carried 

 by the wind loo far to return to their old home ; but certainly 

 a large proportion were caught by the surrounding trees ; 

 and we found, on search, some of these crawling down the 

 trunks of the trees with their wings in a damaged condition. 

 How near the trees must be for them to reach their old home 

 we should like to learn ; and what tells them " which road to 

 take?" Dr. Duncan states ('Transformations of Insects,' 

 p. 205) : — "It was formerly supposed that the females which 

 alighted at a great distance from their old nests returned 

 again, but Hubcr, having great doubts upon this subject 



