344 Mr. C. F. M. Swynnerton's Exjperimenis 



refused. Eggs of hippocoon and P. demodocus were usually 

 given longer consideration by the ants that stopped at 

 them and, especially the latter, sometimes picked up, 

 but were not taken. Of two H. misipptis eggs only one, 

 so far as I saw, was properly inspected, and it was refused. 

 An egg of E. hiarbas was once or twice inspected and once 

 picked up and put outside but not taken, and two or three 

 eggs together of P. cardui were rejected. But a C. ethalion 

 of yesterday's yellow brood was at once picked up by the 

 first small ant that came to it and carried away. The 

 larva, only just hatched and not yet having eaten, of 

 hippocoon was passed over for some time and several 

 times inspected and refused, but finally an ant took it 

 and held it in one place for two or three minutes while 

 passers inspected it (as in the case of the tick) before she 

 finally commenced definitely to carry it. She was even 

 then very undecided for a time, sometimes going on to- 

 wards the next station ahead, then retracing her steps 

 and going towards the main column and so on. Finally, 

 she took the latter direction. 



I kept moving the rejected eggs back as they became 

 pushed or carried to the side, but without effect, though a 

 fresh green C. ethalion egg that I added to them was at 

 once taken and carried, and eventually an ant took the 

 P. demodocus egg and, after what looked like much con- 

 sultation, carried it off too. I now turned my attention 

 to the main column, which was going strong, nine or ten 

 abreast. I put in the Danaida egg. It was inspected 

 and at once rejected by several ants, and at last put out 

 to the side and well earthed up. A P. dardanus hippocoon 

 egg was twice ejected, two eggs of A.acara were ejected after 

 having been the subject of much inspection by individual 

 passers-by, and earth-crumbs were placed against them. 

 But a yellow C. ethalion egg was quickly picked up and 

 carried to the nearest station. 



On my bringing Danaida to the more active attention 

 of the ants it was several times tried with the antennae 

 and refused, the hippocoon egg, as well as a second that 

 I added, was persistently ignored or ejected; the P. 

 demodocus egg was tried and refused a few times, then 

 found a carrier; of two P. cardui eggs put down, one was 

 picked up very soon and carried along, the other remained 

 ignored and possibly unnoticed; two eggs of H. misippus 

 placed amongst the ants were overrun and gradually 



