PARADISE KEY SAFFORD. 



405 



those of ants. They are simply the mothers of their colonies. Sev- 

 eral of them may live together in perfect harmony, unlike the jealous 

 queen bee, who suffers no rival to her throne. 

 But, if not really a queen, the mother ant is 

 treated with queenl}'^ consideration by her chil- 

 dren, who feed her, care for her eggs as soon as 

 she lays them, and administer to all her wants.^ 

 In addition to the species just described is a 

 form of the widely spread Camponotus macu- 

 latus^ which occurs on every continent and 

 many islands and is divided into a number of 

 well-marked varieties, or subspecies; a small 

 stinging ant {Pseudomnyrma grac'disf) closely 

 allied to tropical American species inhabiting 

 the hollow thorns of bull-horn Acacias; and the ^^«- ^s.-Nesis of rox- 



' TER WASP, Eumenes sp., 



tmy, yellowish Pharaoh s ant {Monornonum often invaded by pau- 

 pharaonis) which is so often a pest on board asitic jewel wasps, 



^, . n • 1 Chrysisspp. Half nat. 



ship as well as m houses. size 



POTITSR WASPS AND JEWEL WASPS. 



On the framework of the lodge veranda, outside the copper gauze, 

 there were a number of little wasp nests resembling miniature ollas, 

 or earthenware decanters. These were the work of a slender-waisted, 

 black and yellow insect belonging to the genus 

 Eumenes. Some of the nests were grouped in 

 vertical rows (fig. 23), while others were soli- 

 tary, closely resembling similar nests found on 

 the stems of marsh plants in the adjoining 

 Everglades (pi. 51, fig. 11 ) . On opening some of 

 the little ollas the remains of insect larvae with 

 which they had been stored were found, but ac- 

 companying these, instead of a baby Eumenes, a 

 beautiful, little, jewellike wasp {Chrysis sp.) 

 was found; in some cases of a brilliant sap- 

 phire luster, in others an emerald green (pi. 

 51, fig. 12). Specimens of these little insects 

 caught near the nests, immediately rolled them- 

 selves up like miniature armadillos. Under the lens their brillant 

 surface was found to be minutely and regularly pitted, each concave 

 pit reflecting a brightly colored light, causing the insect to shine with 

 exquisite luster. On plate 52 three specimens from Paradise Key are 

 shown, enlarged 6 diameters. One of them is rolled up for defense as 

 described. The abdomen is somewhat concave on the under side. 



Fig. 24. — Potter wasp, 

 Eumenes sp., which 

 builds its nests on 

 the teranda of the 

 Park Lodge. From 

 specimen collected by 

 C. A. MosiER. Nat. 



SIZE. 



* See Comstock, J. H., Manual for the Study of Insects, 7th ed., pp. 634-636. 

 65133°— SM 1917 27 



1907. 



