Occasional Papers of the Museum of Zoology 17 



12. Lasius niger L. var. americanus Emery. — The largest 

 colony of this species was found on September 17 in a yellow 

 oak log" in the dry hardwood forest along the north beach. The 

 tree had lodged in falling so that part of the log lay clear of 

 the ground, and the region of contact between the bark and the 

 wood was punky from decay. The nest was in this soft wood, 

 so that it was laid bare by the removal of the loosely adhering 

 bark. It extended for seven feet along the log and practically 

 around it for the same distance. The first section of bark re- 

 moved was from over the middle of the nest, and laid bare a 

 number of small flat piles of eggs which the ants promptly 

 abandoned to seek shelter for themselves. Later when larvae 

 and pupae were uncovered the ants refused to leave them, but 

 carried all away to undisturbed galleries. 



About two feet from the place of initial disturbance a soli- 

 tary queen of Camponotus pennsylvanicus was found in a 

 small cavity which her body exactly fitted. She was extremely 

 sluggish and paid little attention to the Lasii, which ran all 

 about and even over her. Later three more queens of the same 

 species Avere found under the same conditions except that one 

 had in the cavity with her a few eggs which were apparently 

 her own. 



The network of passages beneath the bark was all in one 

 plane but extremely complicated. The wood underneath was 

 very hard, too much so to permit excavation by this species, 

 w^hile the bark was not used at all. That portion of the nest 

 which was in the earth at the end of the log was of very minor 

 importance, and few ants were present in it, though the log 

 above swarmed with the disturbed workers. There was no 

 direct opening to this part of the nest, the ants going under 

 the bark and then down below ground between the bark and 



