DIVISION OF LABOTJE. 47 



December 1 1 ; but with these two exceptions the whole 

 of the supplies were carried in by Nos. 5 and 6, with a 

 little help from No. 7. 



Thinking now it might be alleged that possibly 

 fchese were merely unusually active or greedy indi- 

 viduals, I imprisoned No. 6 when she came out to feed 

 on the 5th. As will be seen from the table, no other 

 ant had been out to the honey for some days ; and it 

 could therefore hardly be accidental that on that very 

 evening another ant (then registered as No. 9) came 

 out for food. This ant, a? will be seen from the table, 

 then took the place of No. 6, and (No. 5 being im- 

 prisoned on January 11) took in all the supplies, again 

 with a little help from No. 7. So matters continued 

 till the 17th, when I imprisoned No. 9, and then again, 

 i.e. on the 19th, another ant (No. 10) came out for the 

 food, aided, on and after the 22nd, by another. No. 11. 

 This seems to me very curious. From November 1 to 

 January 5, with two or three casual exceptions, the 

 whole of the supplies were carried in by three ants, 

 one of whom, however, did comparatively little. The 

 other two were imprisoned, and then, but not till then, 

 a fresh ant appears on the scene. She carried in the 

 foorl for a week ; and then, she being imprisoned, two 

 others undertook the task. On the other hand, in 

 Nest 1, where the first foragers were not imprisoned, 

 they continued during the whole time to carry in the 

 necessary supplies. 



The facts therefore certainly seem to indicate that 



