1906.] Wheeler, Founding of Colonies by Queen Ants. Z7 



While we must still admire, in the light of our present knowledge, 

 the accuracy of Pierre Ruber's statements, we must not forget that he 

 lai^ely inferred the method of colony formation and did not actually 

 observe the female ant bringing her firstling brood of workers to 

 maturity. Subsequent authors have not failed to notice this im- 

 portant hiatus in the work of that gifted naturalist. As late as 

 1874 we find Forel (pp. 417-419)1 still balancing the views of St. 

 Fargeau, Ebrard, and Lepeletier with those of Huber and reaching 

 the conclusion, which was really no conclusion at all, that "There is 

 left to us only Lepeletier's supposition, but I believe that we must re- 

 frain from accepting it as an established fact. Nor am I of the opinion 

 that we are justified in absolutely discarding Ruber's conception." 



Although Mayr^ in 1864 observed isolated female ants with eggs, 

 the actual founding of a colony by a single queen was first witnessed by 

 an American of somewhat doubtful reputation as a myrmecologist, 

 Dr. Gideon Lincecum. -^ His work seems to have been overlooked by 

 those who have considered this subject. In 1866 he wrote as follows 

 of the Texas agricultural ant (Pogonomyrmex barhatus var. molefaciens) : 



"When one of the young queens, or mother ants, comes to maturity, 

 and has received the embraces of the male ant, who immediately dies, 

 she goes out alone, selects a location, and goes rapidly to work ex- 

 cavating a hole in the ground and carrying out the dirt with her mouth. 

 As soon as she has progressed far enough for her wings to strike against 

 the sides of the hole, she deliberately cuts them ofif. She now, without 

 further obstruction, continues to deepen the hole to a depth of 6 or 7 

 inches, when she widens the bottom of it into a suitable cell for deposit- 

 ing her eggs and nurturing the young. She continues to labor out- 

 doors and in, until she has raised to maturity 20 to 30 workers, when 

 her labor ceases, and she remains in the cells, supplying the eggs for 

 coming millions, and her kingdom has commenced. But very few of 

 the thousands of mother ants that swarm out from the different 

 kingdoms two or three times a year succeed in establishing a city. 

 However, when one does succeed in rearing a sufficient number of 

 workers to carry on the business, she entrusts the management of the 

 national works to them and is seen no more outside. 



"The workers increase the concealment which has been kept up by 

 the mother ant during the period of her personal labors, of the passage, 

 or gateway to their city, by dragging up and covering it with bits of 



' Les Fourmis de la Suisse. Zurich, 1874. 



2 D.is Lsben und Wirken unserer einheimischen Amcisen. Wien, 1864. 



^ Proc. Phil. Acad. Nat. Ssi., 1866, pp. 323, 324 



