September 1895-I 



PS re HE. 



283 



Nest no. I measured three and one- 

 half feet across the top and was elevated 

 but httle from the surrounding surface, 

 being nearly flat. The ground was of 

 a light sandy soil and situated beside a 

 road passing through a young growth 

 of woods. Nest no. 2 was on the road- 

 side elevated somewhat above the water 

 gutter. It was covered with sod similar 

 to the surroundings and measiu'ed three 

 feet across the top and was elevated 

 above the surface nearly six inches; it 

 was a long distance from any woods 

 and composed of a coarse sandy soil. 

 Nest no. 3 measured foin- and one-half 

 feet across the top and was elevated 

 eight inches above the surrounding sur- 

 face situated beside a public highway 

 and a long distance from any woods ; it 

 was composed of a very light soil cov- 

 ered with small sticks and pebbles and 

 was much the largest colony of the three 

 nests examined. 



One of our warmest days last summer, 

 we visited this nest no. 3, approached it 

 carefully, just before 11 a.m. We ob- 

 served none of the ants coming or going 

 from the nest ; its doors were all closed. 

 On removing a little of the loose cover- 

 ing of the nest not more than two inches 

 deep we found the ants in great abun- 

 dance and to all appearances these ants 

 were asleep. 



The ants that we collected in 

 November from nest no. i we exposed 

 to a temperature of 26° F. for one 

 hour in a bottle. They immediately 

 collected into a cluster. On taking them 

 into my study which was 72° F. they 

 became quite lively in half an hour. 

 Dr. McCook, who has given much of 

 his time to the study of some of our ants. 



performed a number of experiments 

 with Camponotus pe?insvlvanic!(s, 

 and foimd it to live and to be quite 

 active after being put on ice for forty- 

 eight liouis and sluggish at a tempera- 

 ture of 30° F. He also found Pormica 

 riifa to be active in its nests at 34° F. 

 and both of these species to stand a very 

 high degree of heat. I have also found 

 Canifonotus pennsylvaiiicKS in hollow 

 trees in the woods imbedded in ice and 

 the decomposed portion of tlie tree. I 

 have taken them home, thawed them 

 out. and they became lively and ap- 

 peared well and healthy, and went to 

 work in my artificial nest. 



I do not mean to have it understood 

 that all of our ants can or do stand this 

 low degree of temperature, but only 

 that those writers who claim that all of 

 our ants go down below the freezing 

 point in the fall of the year are mistaken 

 and in all probability have never ob- 

 served these creatures. 



There is, however, very little indeed 

 known in tliis country about our For- 

 micidae in general, there being very 

 few entomologists that have made any 

 study of this group of insects. 



In regard to the literature relating 

 to mites found associated with ants, 

 the latest work that I know of is that 

 of Dr. E. Wasmann of Berlin on Myr- 

 mecophilous insects found with ants. 

 He mentions 34 Acarina found with ants 

 through the world. I have one-half of 

 tills number found in Massachusetts 

 and New Hampshire alone, and expect 

 to find more. The number of ants that 

 I have found to inhabit Essex County, 

 Massachusetts, are 41 species and I have 

 a large part of it to look over yet. 



