52 



ANTS 



On Cctober 23, Mr. Briant lectured on 'Ants and their 

 Ways.' After giving us an account of various ants, B-itish and 

 foreign, and their habits, he showed several living ants in front 

 of the lantern so that their shadows fell on the screen. In this 

 way were shown specimens of Formica rufa (the hill-ant), 

 F. flava (the meadow-ant), F, nigcr (the garden-ant), F. sanguinea 

 (the slavemaking-ant), F. fnsca (the slave ant). 



F. sanguinea is such a lazy animal, that when once it has 

 exerted itself sufficiently to catch some slaves, it lives all the 

 rest of its life in helpless dependence on them. If the slaves 

 die, the slave-owners, having forgotten how to feed themselves, 

 die shortly afterwards. 



F. flava is the common brown ant one so commonly sees in 

 walks across the country. A nest of this ant was purchased by 

 the Society, and is now on view in the Museum. 



Between two panes of glass earth has been placed, and the 

 ants have made their nest there. There are chambers and 

 passages connecting them to be seen. The nursery where the 

 young are tended and fed by their nurses, the queen looked 

 after by her attendants, the cemetery where the dead ants are 

 buried, all these can be clearly seen. Driven about by ants 

 are several small white animals which act the part of cows, for 

 they are ' milked ' and the milk given to the young ants. 



The inhabitants want a little moisture occasionally, but no 

 food during the winter months. During the summer months 

 they are fed with a small quantity of honey once a week. 



That such nests are 'not hard to start was shown by 

 C. V. Thornton, who made a copy of the one got from 

 Mr. Briant, and got some ants from near the College bath. 

 When he put these in the prepared place they soon started 

 arranging the nest, although he had no queen inside. 



