90 Miscellaneous. 



M. Blanchard, that the ants" of Europe make no provision, and that 

 the good La Fontaine was in error when he took, in his Fables, 

 those insects as the type of foresight. 



Yet, on the other hand, the most positive assertions are found in 

 several Greek and Latin authors, such as Hesiod, Horace, Virgil, Esop, 

 as well as in the Proverbs of Solomon, that ants accumulate, during 

 the summer, provisions for the winter ; and it is also well established, 

 from the observations of Sykes, Jerdon, Lincecum, Bates, tfcc, that 

 the ants of India, Texas, and Brazil hoard up in their ant-hills 

 a considerable quantity of seeds. Confronted by affirmations so 

 contradictory, our author determined, immediately on his return to 

 Mentone in October 1871, to scrutinize with care that which he had 

 previously observed superficially, and thus endeavour to decide the 

 three following questions : — 



(1) Are the seeds which are carried into the ant-hills employed 

 as materials of construction ? or are they deposited in the interior as 

 provisions ? 



(2) Do the ants which gather seeds search for grubs as do the 

 other ants ? 



(3) Do all the ants of the south of Europe, or only some species, 

 convey seeds ? 



Mr. Moggridge ascertained at once that seeds are transported by 

 three species only : — Atta barbara, of which there are two varieties — 

 one entirely black, the other having a red head ; Atta structor, a 

 species very nearly allied to A. barbara ; and, lastly, Pheidole (Atta) 

 megacephala, a minute yellow ant with a very large head. The 

 facts we will now retrace refer especially to A. barbara, which is 

 more readily observed than the other two. 



On visiting the ant-hills with which he was already acquainted, 

 he soon found numbers of ants which, assembling in a little meadow 

 in the vicinity, returned loaded with seeds and capsules taken from 

 divers plants {Gapsella bursa pastoris, Alsine media, Linn., Cala- 

 mintha, &c). When, for example, a capsule of Bursa pastoris is to 

 be gathered, an ant ascends the cluster, and, neglecting those at the 

 base (which, being dry, let their seeds drop out too readily), attacks 

 those of the centre, green and well filled ; vigorously biting the base 

 of the peduncle, while another ant endeavours to twist it, it is soon 

 detached ; the capsule falls on the ground, and is then taken up by 

 other ants. 



Can the ants be deceived and carry to their dwelling small bodies 

 having only the appearance of seeds ? To enlighten himself on this 

 point Mr. Moggridge strewed the ground with minute grains of por- 

 celain of various colours ; a few were carried to the habitation ; but 

 soon the intelligent animals perceived their error, and, returning to 

 their plants, paid no more attention to those objects of no use to 

 them. 



The seeds and capsules brought are either deposited for the 

 moment at the entry, or at once carried into the interior of the nest, 

 which, being always excavated in more or less compact sandy soil, 

 requires no foreign substance for its construction, and of which the 



