1906.] Wheeler, Founding of Colonies by Queen Ants. 79 



callows to hatch. July 20, 8 a.m., there were about 100 workers in the nest 

 and several were hatching. A large number had matured. July 21 and 22 

 the female ruhicunda no longer attended to the brood or hurried away with a 

 cocoon when the nest was opened, but slunk away and tried to conceal herself 

 in the mass of workers, behaving exactly like the old females one finds in wild 

 nests. By July 22 more than 125 mostly mature workers were counted. The 

 suhsericea female had lost her wings during the night. By evening the number 

 of workers was nearly 150 and during the following 4 days (July 23 to 26) it 

 rose to 175 approximately. Both females were living peacefully side by side. 

 The colony was released in the garden at 6 p.m., July 26. 



Experiment j6. July 14, 5.30 p.m. A female rubicunda, mature but with 

 small, shrivelled wings, was placed in a nest with 11 subsericeq, workers of me- 

 dium and large size, a few worker and 3 female cocoons and a few larvae, taken 

 from a rather small colony. The female was attacked and almost at once 

 succeeded in killing 3 workers (5.55 p. m.) At 6 p. m. she disabled one, and killed 

 another a minute later. She dodged whenever she encountered a worker. 

 July 15, 7 a.m. The female was loitering in a corner far from the brood and 

 the workers. By 2.30 p.m. one of the female suhsericea had hatched. 

 During the whole day the rubicvmda rested quietly on the sponge at some 

 distance from the workers, that huddled in a comer with their brood. July 

 16, 7 A.M. one more worker was killed by the female during the night, so that 

 only 5, the largest individuals, remained alive. The female was resting near 

 the brood. By 12 m. only 4 workers remained and the female had driven the 

 workers from their comer and was in possession of 19 cocoons. Another female 

 subsericea had hatched. The 4 workers and 2 subsericea females had taken 

 refuge with a few cocoons in a lighted comer of the chamber. They seemed to 

 be possessed with the desire to get as far as possible from the rubicunda female. 

 This female had become very alert and was much interested in the cocoons. 

 At 2.40 p.m. when the nest was uncovered she tried to hide her cocoons, of which 

 she now had only 4, all the others having been recovered by the subsericea and 

 carried to the diagonally opposite corner, which was strongly illuminated. Fear 

 of the female rubicunda appeared to be stronger than the instinct which compels 

 these ants to keep their brood in the dark. The female began to run about wildly 

 as if suddenly filled with a craving to get cocoons. She pranced around with half- 

 open mandibles ready to attack any worker. She flew at a worker that was 

 coming up to steal a cocoon and pulled the mandibles of one of the callow 

 subsericea females. She killed one worker, thus reducing the number to three- 

 Although these were the largest individuals, they fled in great trepidation 

 whenever she approached. At 4.30 p. m. the female rubicunda had collected 11 

 cocoons and was guarding them with raised head and open mandibles. By 

 6.50 P.M. she had secured 23, including the unhatched female cocoon. She 

 was no longer molested by the 3 workers. These were trying to escape by 

 gnawing at the towelling in the light comer. July 17, 7.30 a.m. During the 

 night the workers had recovered some of their cocoons, leaving only 17 worker 

 cocoons and a larva with the female rubicunda. July 18, 7 a.m. She had 

 regained all her pupae during the night. The 3 workers were still alive. The 

 female was very sluggish. At 8.30 the subsericea workers were opening the third 

 and last female pupa. By 12 m. the female rubicunda had recovered all the 

 cocoons and was guarding them in company with the 3 callow subsericea I'emales. 



