8 PUPA— IMAGO. 



selves, carefully unfolding their legs and smoothing 

 out the wings, with truly feminine tenderness and 

 delicacy. Our countryman Gould long ago mentioned, 

 and the fact has since been fully confirmed by Forel, 

 that the pupas are unable to emerge from the cocoons 

 without the assistance of the workers. The ants 

 generally remain from three to four weeks in this 

 condition. 



In the case of ants, as with other insects which pass 

 through similar metamorphoses, such as bees, wasps, 

 moths, butterflies, flies, and beetles, &c., the larval 

 stage is the period of growth. During the chrysalis 

 stage, though Immense changes take place, and the 

 organs of the perfect insect are more or less rapidly 

 developed, no food is taken, and there is no addition 

 to the size or weig'nt. 



The imago or perfect insect again takes food, but 

 does not grow. The ant, like all the insects above 

 named, is as large when it emerges from the pupa as it 

 ever will be, though the abdomen of the females some- 

 times increases in size from the development of the 

 eggs. 



We have hitherto had very little information as to 

 the length of life in ants in the imago, or perfect, state. 

 So far, indeed, as the preparatory stages are concerned, 

 there is little difficulty in approximately ascertaining 

 the facts ; namely, that while in summer they take 

 only a few weeks, in some species, as our small yellow 

 meadow ants (Lasius Jlavus)^ the autumn larvae 



