BY HENRY TRYON. 153 
nest ; some homeward bound heavily laden with the florets of 
the grass Hleusine indica, containing ripe seed, and others 
setting out for some plants growing a few yards distant, where 
a further supply could be obtained. The nest to which these 
seeds were carried, and where they afterwards harvested, was 
entirely subterranean, and accessible only by means of a small 
hole, the neighbourhood of which, to the extent of two or three 
inches, was covered with the ‘chaff’? of grass seed, and was 
constantly receiving additions of the same nature from the 
small ants, who were busily occupied in carrying these dejecta 
to the border of the heap, and there without fail depositing 
them. On opening the nest it was also observed to be plentifully 
stored with winnowed seed of this same grass Hlewsine. 
These insects belong to the family Myrmicide and to the genus 
Pheidole—ants remarkable as having four different classes of 
members in their communities, viz: the males, the females, the 
smaller workers (neuters), and the larger workers or soldiers 
(neuters). The latter class is composed of individuals much 
larger than the workers proper, they have heads also bigger 
than their bodies, and are provided with powerful jaws. These 
soldiers are comparatively few in number, and seldom roam 
many inches from the nest, where they are probably occupied in 
separating the glumes from the grain, in the grass florets, and 
other similar labours. 
As far as the writer has observed, these ants do not restrict 
their attention to grass seeds of one or more kinds, neither to 
this description of seed only. Exceptionally they carry off other 
vegetable matter, and sometimes animal matter, perhaps a 
minute curclulio which has been long dead, a portion of 
another ant, and at another time insect eggs. The latter 
habit is a little peculiar; the writer could not refer the 
eggs observed in this situation to any particular insect, and 
from their shape does not suspect that they were those of 
aphides; though ants are known to transport the eggs of these 
