﻿72 
  PROCEEDINGS 
  OP 
  THE 
  CALIFORNIA 
  

  

  Notes 
  on 
  the 
  Honey-Making 
  Ant 
  of 
  Texas 
  and 
  New 
  Mexico, 
  

   Myrmeoocystus 
  Mexicanus 
  of 
  Westwood. 
  

  

  BY 
  HENRY 
  EDWARDS. 
  

  

  The 
  natural 
  liistory 
  of 
  this 
  very 
  curious 
  species 
  is 
  so 
  little 
  known, 
  that 
  the 
  

   preservation 
  of 
  every 
  fact 
  connected 
  with 
  its 
  economy 
  beconies 
  a 
  matter 
  of 
  con- 
  

   siderable 
  scientific 
  importance, 
  and 
  the 
  following 
  observations, 
  gleaned 
  from 
  

   Capt. 
  W. 
  B. 
  Fleeson 
  of 
  this 
  city, 
  who 
  has 
  recently 
  had 
  an 
  opportunity 
  of 
  

   studying 
  the 
  ants 
  in 
  their 
  native 
  haunts, 
  may, 
  it 
  is 
  hoped, 
  be 
  not 
  without 
  

   interest. 
  

  

  The 
  community 
  appears 
  to 
  consist 
  of 
  three 
  distinct 
  kinds 
  of 
  ants, 
  probably 
  

   of 
  two 
  separate 
  genera, 
  whose 
  offices 
  in 
  the 
  general 
  order 
  of 
  the 
  nest 
  would 
  

   seem 
  to 
  be 
  entirely 
  apart 
  from 
  each 
  other, 
  and 
  who 
  perform 
  the 
  labor 
  allotted 
  

   to 
  them 
  without 
  the 
  least 
  encroachment 
  upon 
  the 
  duties 
  of 
  their 
  fellows. 
  The 
  

   larger 
  number 
  of 
  individuals 
  consists 
  of 
  yellow 
  worker 
  ants 
  of 
  two 
  kinds, 
  one 
  

   of 
  which 
  of 
  a 
  pale 
  golden 
  yellow 
  color, 
  about 
  one-third 
  of 
  an 
  inch 
  in 
  length, 
  

   acts 
  as 
  nurses 
  and 
  feeders 
  of 
  the 
  honey-making 
  kind, 
  who 
  do 
  not 
  quit 
  the 
  interior 
  

   of 
  the 
  nest, 
  "their 
  sole 
  purpose 
  being, 
  apparently, 
  to 
  elaborate 
  a 
  kind 
  of 
  honey, 
  

   which 
  they 
  are 
  said 
  to 
  discharge 
  into 
  prepared 
  receptacles, 
  and 
  which 
  constitutes 
  

   the 
  food 
  of 
  the 
  entire 
  population. 
  In 
  these 
  honey-secreting 
  workers 
  the 
  abdo- 
  

   men 
  is 
  distended 
  into 
  a 
  large, 
  globose, 
  bladder-like 
  form, 
  about 
  the 
  size 
  ( 
  f 
  a 
  pea." 
  

   The 
  third 
  variety 
  of 
  ant 
  is 
  much 
  larger, 
  black 
  in 
  color, 
  and 
  with 
  very 
  (ormid- 
  

   able 
  mandibles. 
  For 
  the 
  purpose 
  of 
  bettet 
  understanding 
  the 
  doings 
  of 
  this 
  

   strange 
  community, 
  we 
  will 
  designate 
  them 
  as 
  follows 
  : 
  

  

  No. 
  1 
  — 
  Yellow 
  workers 
  ; 
  nurses 
  and 
  feeder.^. 
  

  

  No. 
  2 
  — 
  Yellow 
  workers 
  ; 
  honey 
  makers. 
  

  

  No. 
  3 
  — 
  Black 
  workers 
  ; 
  guards 
  and 
  purveyors. 
  

  

  The 
  site 
  chosen 
  for 
  the 
  nest 
  is 
  usually 
  some 
  sandy 
  soil 
  in 
  the 
  neighborhood 
  of 
  

   shrubs 
  and 
  flowers, 
  and 
  the 
  space 
  occupied 
  is 
  about 
  from 
  four 
  to 
  five 
  feet 
  scpiare. 
  

   Unlike 
  the 
  nests 
  of 
  most 
  other 
  ants, 
  however, 
  the 
  surface 
  of 
  the 
  soil 
  is 
  usually 
  

   undisturbed, 
  and 
  but 
  for 
  the 
  presence 
  of 
  the 
  insects 
  themselves, 
  presents 
  a 
  very 
  

   ditferent 
  appearance 
  from 
  the 
  ordinary 
  communities, 
  the 
  ground 
  having 
  been 
  

   subject 
  to 
  no 
  disturbance, 
  and 
  not 
  pulverized 
  and 
  rendered 
  loose 
  as 
  is 
  the 
  case 
  

   with 
  the 
  majority 
  of 
  species. 
  

  

  The 
  black 
  workers 
  (No. 
  3) 
  surround 
  the 
  nest 
  as 
  guards 
  or 
  sentinels, 
  and 
  are 
  

   always 
  in 
  a 
  state 
  of 
  great 
  activity, 
  'i'hey 
  form 
  two 
  lines 
  of 
  delenee. 
  moving 
  dif- 
  

   i'erent 
  ways, 
  their 
  march 
  always 
  being 
  along 
  three 
  sides 
  of 
  a 
  square, 
  oae 
  column 
  

   moving 
  from 
  the 
  ^E 
  to 
  the 
  SW 
  corners 
  of 
  the 
  fortification, 
  while 
  the 
  other 
  

   proceeds 
  in 
  the 
  opposite 
  direction. 
  In 
  most 
  of 
  the 
  nests 
  examined 
  by 
  Captain 
  

   Fleeson, 
  the 
  direction 
  of 
  the 
  nest 
  was 
  usually 
  towards 
  the 
  north 
  ; 
  the 
  east, 
  west 
  

   and 
  northern 
  sides 
  being 
  surrounded 
  by 
  the 
  soldiers, 
  while 
  the 
  southern 
  portion 
  

   was 
  left 
  open 
  and 
  undefended. 
  In 
  case 
  of 
  any 
  enemy 
  approaching 
  the 
  encamp- 
  

   ment, 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  the 
  srnards 
  leave 
  their 
  station 
  in 
  the 
  line 
  and 
  sallv 
  forth 
  to 
  

  

  