1906.] Wheeler, Founding of Colonies by Queen Ants. 67 



passively, with flexed legs and antennae, and never attempted to bite their 

 tormentors. Occasionally they were sprayed with ormic acid, although this 

 severe treatment was resorted to only during the first encounters. At 9.30 

 P.M. one of the females was dying while being licked all over by the workers; 

 the other was still living. Aug. 10, 7 a. m. both females were dead. Another 

 female was introduced. She was found dead at 6 p. m. The experiment was 

 abandoned at this point. 



These experiments, while not completely satisfactory, show never- 

 theless that the female nepticula, like the female consocians, is very con- 

 ciliatory and adaptable and has a pronounced fondness for associating 

 with alien workers. They show that neogagates is not inclined to adopt 

 nepticula females but may be induced to do so occasionally. It is 

 probable that experiments 18 and 19 would have given the same re- 

 sult as 17 had it been possible to carry them further. The work- 

 ers in the colony of experiment 19 were larger and more aggressive 

 than those employed in experiments 1 7 and 18. The latter represented 

 more nearly such incipient and depauperate colonies as nepticula 

 probably selects as the most suitable in which to seek adoption. The 

 resemblance of the nepticula female to a small or medium-sized neo- 

 gagates worker is so great that she can be detected in a mixed colony 

 only by close scrutiny. F. neogagates is a subboreal species and at 

 Colebrook rarely occurs below an altitude of 1000 ft. The single 

 colony of nepticula was also found at such an altitude (1400 ft.) as to 

 indicate a connection between these species. All of these facts point 

 to neogagates rather than to subsericca or one of the forms of schaufussi 

 as the temporary host of nepticttla. 



4. Formica rufa Integra Nylandcr. 

 Very little has been published on the habits of our North 

 American forms of the holarctic fallow ant {F. rufa) . The only form 

 of the species which I was able to draw into the scope of my studies 

 during the past summer was F. rufa integra. This beautiful insect is 

 common in some localities in the more hilly portions of the Eastern 

 States (above 1000 ft.), but is manifestly rarer at lower altitudes and 

 seems to be lacking in the prairie regions of the Middle West. It 

 prefers open, sunny glades in the woods and, so far as my observations 

 go, occurs only in localities where its probable temporary host, F. sub- 

 sericca, is abundant. Its colonies are often of enormous size and ex- 

 tend over a number of nests, each of which may contain thousands of 

 workers. In the immediate vicinity of Colebrook, Conn., I have found 

 two colonies, one consisting of four or five, the other of fully a dozen 

 such nests. These are in large logs, stumps, or piles of stones, never in 



