COLLECTING. 



63 



the interior of the nests except that they bring the eggs and larvae 

 to the side of the glass pane nearest the sun, or a fire, beneath the 

 nest materials much may be learnt about their habits by watching 

 it, and many flies and other myrmecophiles may be bred out, which 

 would not occur in " Lubbock " and "Janet " nests. The nest can 

 be enclosed with muslin attached to a wire frame which extends 

 from outside the water-trough over the nest and does not touch 

 it anywhere. In this way any winged creature, which may have 

 hatched out when the observer is not present, will not be lost. 

 (For the same purpose I have used large glass bowls containing 



Open top 



- Zinc tray 



Water 

 trough 



Fig. 55. " Donisthorpe " observation nest. 



sand ; the earth, or other materials, dug up with the colony, 

 from an ant's nest is shot into them, and the top is covered with 

 muslin. In these bowls I have bred a number of myrmecophiles, 

 which had not been discovered before.) 



This nest (and the bowls) occasionally require to be thoroughly 

 watered with a child's watering-can, or some such apparatus. 



The water-trough prevents those ants which go down into the 

 tray, where they walk about freely, from escaping into the room. 

 It is not however entirely satisfactory, as some manage to swim 

 across, and when the water gets covered with a film of dust, others 

 walk over it. Some people allow petrol to float on the top of the 

 water ; the ants do not like it, but those that may happen to fall 

 in are killed. 



Newell, after trying very many different oils and disinfectants, 



