1906.] Wheeler, Founding of Colonies by Queen Ants. y$ 



Experiment 30. July 11. At 11 a.m. a rubicunda female was placed in a 

 nest containing 30 large and medium-sized subsericea workers with naked worker 

 pupae and semipupae from a rather large mound nest. She was at once 

 seized by eight workers and pulled about by all her legs and antennae. She 

 resented this treatment, threw off her assailants and by 11.30 a.m. had killed 

 nine of them. She herself, however, succumbed a little after 12 m. 



Experiment ji. July 23, 11 a.m., a fine female rubicunda, that lost her wings 

 while she was being taken out of her own nest, was placed with 12 large subs 

 sericea workers, two males, and a number of larvae and nude worker pup^ taken 

 from a large mound nest evidently of several years' standing. She ran about 

 in dismay, trying to avoid the workers, but at 11. 10 a.m. her legs and antennae 

 were pinioned by two and then by four workers. She shook them off adroitly 

 but was soon held fast by three others. This so thoroughly aroused her that 

 she killed them by biting them one by one through the head or thorax. Almost 

 at once, however, two workers fell upon her, stretched her legs and sprayed 

 their articular membranes with formic acid till she succumbed at 11.30. She 

 had been overcome in a surprisingly short time. 



These experiments show very conclusively that rubicunda is re- 

 ceived with great hostility and may be quickly dispatched by even a 

 small number of subsericea workers. It is certain that she would 

 stand no chance of survival if she attempted to enter a large colony of 

 these ants. The experiments also show that the female resents the 

 treatment she receives, but this is more clearly manifested in the fol- 

 lowing cases: 



Experiment J2. July 7. 10 a.m. A female rubicunda was introduced 

 into a nest containing 12 large subsericea workers with a number of worker 

 cocoons. As soon as she was perceived, some of the workers snatched up their 

 cocoons and fied to the light chamber, just as they are in the habit of doing when 

 their nests are attacked by rubicunda workers; while others fell upon her and 

 began to tug at her legs and antennae. This she endured patiently for some 

 minutes, but finally succeeded in shaking off her assailants and, thoroughly 

 aroused, began to prance back and forth in the chamber, pouncing on any 

 worker that came within her reach. She killed two of them in rapid succession 

 and then at once began to collect the cocoons and tuck them away in one 

 of the comers of the nest. She collected 18 of them, mounted the pile, and 

 with wide open mandibles, stood guard over them. The subsericea hurriedly 

 carried the remainder of the cocoons into the light chamber and plugged up 

 the entrance between the chambers with some pellets of earth. July 8 matters 

 remained in statu quo during the entire day. The female never left the brood 

 she had appropriated and the subsericea made no attempt to recover it. Dur- 

 ing the night, however, there must have been such an attempt, as the female 

 was found dead at 8 a.m., July 9, and the workers had carried the 18 cocoons 

 into the light chamber and had placed them with the others. 



Experiment jj. July 10, 9 p.m., a female rubicunda was placed in a nest 

 with 8 medium-sized subsericea workers and about 100 larvae and pupae. She 



