HYMENOPTERA. 239 



the termination of the foot of the worker ; PL XL, 

 Fig. 191, that of the male. 



The nest, or formicary, is often excavated in trees, 

 and consists of many chambers and galleries.^ The 

 colony is composed of males, many females (instead 

 of one as with bees) , workers, and soldiers. The males 

 live only long enough to take the marriage flight : after 

 this flight the females lose their wings, and may live 

 several years. The workers are immature forms having 

 the ability to labor and but little power of reproduc- 

 tion. They can lay eggs in small numbers ; but these 

 are not impregnated, and produce only males. The 

 soldiers are devoted to the special work of protecting 

 the colony rather than of building the nest or repro- 

 ducing their kind. 



The larvae (PI. XL, Fig. 192) are white, footless in- 

 sects, and diminish in size towards the head. They 

 are so extremely helpless that the nurses are obHged 

 to feed them from their own mouths. It is interesting 

 to note, that the larvae of one species, Formica fiisca, 

 sometimes spins a cocoon, and at other times remains 

 naked. The pupa stage with most ants is passed 

 quickly. 



Social Hfe has existed so long among these insects 

 that they have acquired habits of co-operation ; they 

 assist each other in work, in taking care of the young 

 and of females. They help the pupae out of their 

 cocoons, clean them, etc. They can also communi- 

 cate with each other to a certain extent, make slaves 



1 For drawings illustrating the architecture of this species of 

 ant, see Trans. Amer. Ent. Soc. Phil., \o\. \ . 



