INSECT HERDS AND PIERDERS 



dew appears upon the replete's mouth, hanging to the 

 maxillae beneath. It has been forced out of the full crop 

 by muscular contraction upon its enfolding sac, and is 

 immediately lapped by the expectant pensioner. You 

 may see two or even three ants thus feeding at once 

 from the same replete. This is substantially the 

 process by which the larvse and antlings, the wing- 

 less queens, and the winged females and males are 

 fed. 



The repletes, as a rule, made no objection to this 

 process; but at times one would show anxiety to break 

 away without parting with her treasure. The pensioners 

 would occasionally solicit a ration with their antenna;; 

 and once a replete was seized rather violently as though 

 to coerce a gift. After the feeding the repletes dashed 

 into the galleries and disappeared through the mass of 

 legs, heads, and black abdomens of workers, all appar- 

 ently engaged as above. 



A chief significance of the behavior here described is 

 the view which it gives of the public economy of an ant 

 republic. It seems to show a general movement which 

 has much the appearance of a division of labor. Those 

 members of the community engaged in building and in 

 the internal economy of the formicary appear to leave 

 the collecting of food, for the nonce, at least, to others 

 of their fellows, not only for the dependants of the nest, 

 but for themselves. Content with satisfying the simple 

 wants of nature, they leave their work and visit the 

 vicinage of the feeding-grounds to get food from the 

 superabundance of those who have the duty of foragers. 

 The points of contact are well chosen for this purpose, 

 forming as they do a series of stations between the 

 foraging-field and the nest. As many of the repletes 



47 



