24 University of Michigan 



an old stump. Onh- the decayed roots remained, and in them 

 the nest was located. The mound was composed entirely of 

 excavated wood and that which had weathered. Xo earth had 

 been excavated, though much of the wood dust had become 

 mixed with earth as it decayed. There were cjuantities of 

 larv-ae and pupae in the lower recesses of the nest. In this 

 same habitat colonies were found in logs that lay on the sur- 

 face of the ground, but these were small colonies of perhaps 

 a hundred or less individuals. Other colonies were situated on 

 the beach — always in rotten and partly buried logs. The spe- 

 cies is plainly to be associated with the damp or even wet 

 places, as it was found in the cold wet marsh near the pond 

 where the dense grass and ferns completely shaded the ground. 

 It is noticeably active, though rather less so than the follow- 

 ing variety of the same species. The workers are wide ranging, 

 and were frequently seen isolated or in small bands many yards 

 from the home nest. 



An isolated winged female was taken in a large well-rotted 

 pine log almost entirely buried in the wet sand of the beach. 

 She was the only aleate queen noted. Brief references to the 

 form will be found under Cauiponotus novchoraccnsis and 

 Myrmica punctiicntris. 



19. Formica fnsca 1<. var. suhaenesccns Emery. — P. f. 

 suhacnescens was much more abundant than the precedmg 

 form and was in fact one of the two most plentiful ants on the 

 island. A\'ith a single exception the nests found were located 

 in the hardwood forest. This exception was a large colony 

 situated in a pine log on the open beach. Unlike subsericca, 

 this variety seems to prefer the lighter and drier forest, and it 

 was in that habitat that the greatest number of nests and larg- 

 est colonies were found. The nests were always partly in 

 wood : usually that which was rather soft and punky was chos- 



