1906.] Wheeler, Founding of Colonies by Queen Ants. "J J 



characteristic of the females in this stage of their activities. She moved in a 

 jerky fashion, taking a few steps in one direction, then turning the body and 

 taking a few steps more. July 9, 8 a.m., only two of the workers survived. 

 They had regained possession of 30 of their cocoons, however, and were guard- 

 ing them in a remote comer of the light chamber while the female was watching 

 over the great bulk of the brood in a corner of the dark chamber. By 10.30 

 she had entered the light chamber, recaptured all but 6 of the cocoons, carried 

 them into the dark chamber and placed them on her pile. The two workers 

 were wandering about in a state of "abulic dejection." At 11.30 one of them 

 was seen to enter the dark chamber and approach the female, but the latter 

 opened her mandibles and the worker fled. The female had stacked her cocoons 

 in a compact heap and was bent on defending them. Apparently she had not 

 forgotten the 6 cocoons still remaining in the light chamber. At any rate, 

 she secured 4 of them by 12 m. She took up her position on the pile of cocoons, 

 and whenever light was admitted into the dark chamber, opened her man- 

 dibles and went to prancing about as if looking for an enemy. By 1.15 p.m. 

 she had secured one of the two remaining cocoons in the light chamber. July 

 10, 6 A.M. In the night the female killed the two remaining workers and 

 took their last cocoon. Throughout the day she kept closely to the brood, 

 prancing whenever the light was admitted into the chamber and fiercely seiz- 

 ing a straw or my finger whenever either was held near her. She seemed to 

 display a much greater interest in the pupae than in the larvje. July 11 to 15 

 she remained in statu quo. Whenever the nest was uncovered she hastily 

 took up a cocoon and tried to conceal it. July 16, 7 a.m., 5 callow workers 

 had hatched during the night. One larva had been partially eaten by the fe- 

 male. At 1.40 she was surprised in the act of opening a cocoon. She used her 

 fore and middle feet to hold the cocoon while she tore a large elliptical hole 

 with her mandibles in the portion of its wall overlying the con ave ventral 

 surface of the pupa. Through this hole the worker was later drawn after it had 

 thrust out its antennas and legs. Whenever the nest was uncovered through- 

 out this and the following of the first days, the female could nearly always be 

 detected in the act of either opening a cocoon or removing the pupal envelope 

 from a callow just released. By the afternoon of July 16 some of the callows 

 began to assist the female in releasing their sister workers. The number of 

 callows now began to increase rapidly. On the morning of July 17, there were 

 19 altogether, by 5 p.m. 24, by 7.30 a.m., July 18, 30, and by 7.30 a.m., July 

 19, 50. On the following days the numbers ran thus: July 20 about 60; July 

 21 about 75; July 22 about 100; July 23 and 24 about 130. This completed 

 the callow brood, as some of the cocoons failed to hatch. The female took the 

 greatest interest in her black family and they bestowed on her every attention. 

 Soon after they had begun to feed and clean her another marked change 

 supervened in her instincts. Instead of defending herself and brood when the 

 nest was uncovered she slunk away, or at any rate attempted to conceal herself 

 among the mass of workers. She had become highly photophobic and behaved 

 exactly like the old queens, that invariably make for the galleries whenever 

 the nest is disturbed or illuminated. This experiment was concluded and 

 the ants liberated in the garden on July 26, as I had to leave Colebrook for 

 New York on the following day. 



