1906.] Wheeler, Founding of Colonies by Queen Ants. 43 



parent pyriform globules bud out, which Moeller called "kohlrabi " 

 and the ant is seen to eat them frequently. She always keeps close to 

 the fungus garden and in it embeds her eggs. The larger of these soon 

 become larvae. The eggs are not spun over with fungus hyphae but 

 have the chorion smooth and shining. Eggs are also found in the 

 interior of the fungus mass, which the ant keeps rearranging and re- 

 distributing from time to time. It was easy, for purposes of obser- 

 vation, to transfer the ant to a terrarium. Without excavating anew 

 she remained with her garden on the fresh layer of earth. The garden 

 did not grow, but rather diminished in volume, for it is difficult to 

 imitate the conditions, especially the precise degree of moisture, in 

 which it grows and develops in its cavity. I failed, therefore, to 

 keep the ant and her garden till the first workers appeared. 



"The time required to accomplish this must be between two and 

 three months. Presumably the last phase of this first brood period is 

 very precarious, since leaves must be brought in to serve as a sub- 

 stratum for the further growth of the fungus garden. In any event, 

 the development of the garden is in need of further elucidation. Ac- 

 cording to my investigations, which need fuller confirmation, the or- 

 ganic substratum is provided in the form of malaxated eggs, but 

 perhaps the soil, which is rich in vegetable mould, may itself contain 

 nutrient substances. 



"As soon as the first workers appear, the colony may be regarded 

 as established and the opening up of the burrow, the enlarging of the 

 first chamber, carrying in of leaves, etc., lead to the well-known condi- 

 tions of the adult colony. 



"The preceding description is hardly complete without an answer 

 to the question : Whence come the fungus germs for the establishment 

 of the new garden?" After searching the queen for fungus spores 

 concealed about her person, von Ihering made the important discovery 

 that "every Atta queen, on leaving the parental nest, carries in the 

 posterior portion of her oral chamber a loose pellet, .6 mm. in diameter, 

 consisting of hyphae of Rhozitcs gongylophora, small fragments of 

 bleached, i. e., chlorophylless leaves, and chitinous bristles. The last 

 are undoubtedly derived from the larvae undergoing ecdysis in the pa- 

 rental nest. " Von Ihering is of the opinion that the female keeps the 

 pellet of hyphae, etc., in her mouth till she has excavated her chamber 

 and then spits it out where it will serve to kindle the fungus garden of 

 the new colony. 



The observations of Goeldi are little more than a confirmation of 

 those of von Ihering. He maintains that the fungus is actually grown 



