358 THE POLTNDTNG OF COLONIES BY ATTA SEXDEIsTS. 



treatise the specific facts of the studies, the full details of the separate 

 lines of observation, and the specific mycological results obtained. 



The initial steps in founding a colony are most readily observed 

 by inclosing the female Atta in a glass-sided compartment kept suf- 

 ficiently humid by means of dampened blotting paper. On the day 

 following the nuptial flight the ant is seen to have disgorged the 

 small pellet of fungus threads upon the ground, where it may be 

 easily overlooked, being hardly more than 0.5 mm. in diameter, fre- 

 quently yellowish or almost black instead of white, and therefore 

 lost sight of among the other materials. I have found that as a rule 

 a few eggs (6 to 10) are to be seen after the third day, and the fungus 

 pellet is found to be sending out delicate threads (liyphse) in all 

 directions. (Fig. 7.) On the same or the next day the ant sep- 

 arates the fungus into two or three small heaps. (Fig. 8.) During 

 the next ten to twelve days there is usually a daily increase of about 

 10 eggs, though this varies in individual cases. At the same time 

 the fungus patches increase in number and size. They have a diam- 

 eter of 1 to 2 mm. and closely resemble small cotton seeds covered 

 with erect threads. xVt first the eggs and fungus masses are separate, 

 but after a time they are brought together, or, at any rate, part of the 

 eggs are placed upon and between the fungus patches. At the 

 expiration of eight to ten days these patches are so numerous that 

 they unite to form a round or elliptical shield-shaped growth with 

 a diameter of 1 cm. ; and from this time on the eggs are to be found on 

 this growth. In time it becomes so compacted that with a little care 

 the entire platter-shaped mass, together with the eggs upon it, may 

 be raised from the ground, the outer rim being usually quite thick. 



Somewhere about fourteen to sixteen days after the female Atta 

 has established her subterranean dwelling, the first larvae can be 

 clearly seen lying among the eggs which by this time amount to over 

 100. The fungus garden is now from 1 to 1.5 cm. in diameter. The 

 number of larvse increases daily and their rapid growth is especially 

 striking, some attaining within a week a length of fully 2 mm. A 

 month or so after the beginning of the imprisonment the first pupa3 

 are to be seen. They vary in size, the smaller being 1.5 to 2 mm., 

 the larger 2.5 to 3 mm., or, in rare cases, 4 mm. At this time the 

 fungus garden has attained a diameter of about 2 cm. and has a per- 

 ceptibly thickened rim. During its early development there is no 

 trace of kohlrabi formation observable (cf. figs. 7-11 and G). Now, 

 however, these bodies can be indistinctly seen on the border of the 

 fungus garden. Eight days later, when there are about 30 pupae, 

 the older of these begin to take on a brown color, and a few days 

 after this the first young workers aj^pear. They at once busy them- 

 selves with the care of the pupae and the person of the queen, and 

 besfin feeding on the kohlrabi. 



