1907.] Wheeler, Fimgus-growmg Ants of North America. 681 



intact while the ants were excavating the chamber. ]\Iorris's description of 

 these "combs" is more accurate than ^IcCook's. 



Brent in 1886 described the nesting habits, etc., of the large Atta cepha- 

 lotes of Trinidad: "A good sized mango tree, at least as large as an average 

 apple tree, I saw stripped of every leaf in one night, and greater feats than 

 this are recorded of these ' Fourmi Ciseaux,' as they are called by the Creoles." 

 Brent gives a diagram of the nest and describes a tunnel leading from the 

 lowermost fungus-chamber to a still lower level. He "invariably found 

 this lower tunnel wherever the inclination permitted its construction" and 

 has "no doubt that it is constructed as a drain, and that the ants know as 

 much about the advantage of thorough drainage as they have been proved 

 to know, by many eminent observers, of those of other sanitary matters." 

 Some of the chambers of the nest are described as 3 feet in diameter. He 

 mentions Amphisbfenians as living in the nest and eating the ants. In 

 regard to the use to which the leaves are put. Brent says: "A solution of 

 arseniate of soda was next sprinkled upon orange leaves, which were strewn 

 upon the mound. These were eventually cleared away, although at an 

 immense sacrifice of life. This points, I think, to the true ant food, since 

 unless the juices of the leaves as they were sawed up were swallowed, the 

 poison would have no effect. This idea is strengthened by the fact that 

 fiery and strongly aromatic plants as well as those with poisonous, milky 

 juices are carefully avoided. No solid food is found in the crops of the insect 

 at any time, but if these are examined after the insects have been engaged in 

 leaf-cutting, they are found full of green leaf juice." Later he says: "The 

 larvae are embedded in a soft woolly matter which proved to be the finely 

 masticated parenchyma of the leaves. Thus a use was found for the leaves, 

 although it reflects seriously upon the supposed sagacity of the ants that 

 they should procure so many more than are rec{uired for the purpose." 



Emery (1890) appended a brief ethological note to his description of 

 Acromyrmex Jandolti of Caracas, Venezuela. Simon wrote him that "this 

 ant makes extensive formicaries with several entrances, each surmounted 

 by a column or chimney of straws 10-15 cm. high, in which lives a large 

 spider of the genus Ctenus. Simon never saw the ants carry in pieces of 

 leaves like Atta sexdens and believes that they confine themselves to collect- 

 ing pieces of dried grasses." 



Observations on A. cephalotes in Trinidad were resumed in 1892 by 

 Tanner in two important papers, which, owing to their publication in an 

 obscure serial, have been overlooked by subsequent students. He was the 

 first to study Attii in artificial nests and to prove that not only the adult ants 

 but also the larvae feed on fungus hypha?. In his first paper (lS92a) he 

 describes the manner in which the workers triturate the leaves: "Each 



