AMAZON ANTS. 8305 
only conjectures, and perhaps very distant 
from the truth. I know, however, of 
none more plausible to explain the form- 
ation of new Amazon ant-hills. 
As to the preservation of compound. 
ant-hills, I believe it consists, as in all 
other ant-hills, in reserving some preg- 
nant females to keep up the population. 
I have often seen in these habitations, 
and in all seasons, females destitute of 
wings. I opened, inthe middle of April, 
some of these dwellings, where I found a 
considerable number of eggs, agglutina- 
ted together, assiduously guarded by 
Negro Ants. I also noticed some Ama- 
zon females, surrounded by the same 
guardians. They inhabited the most 
elevated part of the building, and the 
eggs were collected near them. In the 
month of June I first perceived the 
male pup in their enveloping mem- 
brane; their larve being in the number 
of those that spin: the female pup 
were rather later in appearing. ‘They 
were liberated from their envelope, by 
