147 
Some Experiments with Ants' Nests. 
latter, as Prof. Wheeler quaintly remarks, are as rare 
as “hens’ teeth” when one starts to look for them. As 
to the former, I have personally never seen or come across 
a marriage flight of either rufa, sanrjuinea, or exsecta. I 
therefore made up small colonies of fusca and ruflbarhis v. 
fusco-rufiharhis by putting a limited number of ^ ^ and pu j)ae 
into a combined Fielde and Jannet nest, and introduced 
^ $ of sanguinea. I used both old dealated, and doubt¬ 
less impregnated, $ and young winged virgin $ taken 
from sanguinea nests. From the latter I removed the 
wings, as Wheeler has shown that when the wings are 
removed the ^ acquires the instincts of an impregnated 
female. 
Before describing my experiments, I must mention that 
I kept sanguinea ^ ^ in bowls of sand for months, alone 
and together, and they never attempted to lay eggs or 
start a colony. When, however, a few pupae, of this or 
another species, were introduced, they sometimes collected 
them together and sat upon them. 
No. 1. A small nest of F./(tsca $ ^ and larvae taken at Sherwood 
Forest on June 13th. On June 24th I introduced a $ sanguinea, 
which I had taken from a nest at Aviemore on May 17th. She still 
retained one wing, which I removed. The fusca $ 9 ran away at 
first when the 5 approached them, but later attacked her. The $ bit 
at the/uscas when attacked. In the evening they were still fighting. 
The $ did not pay any attention to the larvae and did not try 
to conciliate the $ but ran away from them. By June 25th 
5 ? 5 had been killed by the $, and the rest were in the passage 
between the two compartments with the larvae. June 27th, $ still 
attacked a little, several more 5 9 killed. I introduced some 
large niger pupae, which the/wscos collected with their larvae. On 
Jline 28th, the $ appeared to be accepted by the ^ ^ , &s they were 
all sitting together, and several § ^ were cleaning the 5. On 
July 2nd, the 9 dead, no doubt from injuries received in the 
previous encounters. 
In this experiment the ^ was finally accepted by the ^ 
although she died from injuries received. 
No. 2. July 4th, introduced dealated $ saiiguinea, taken at 
Woking, May 5th, into small fusca nest with pupae. The 9 
apjiroached the pupae and tapped them with her antennae, evidently 
much interested in them. The 9 9 removed them, but the 9 
