64 BRITISH ANTS. 



etc., for this purpose without success, eventually placed his ants' 

 nests on galvanized iron trays, through which running water 

 two inches deep was kept passing day and night. Ants will move 

 with their brood into either " Lubbock " or " Janet " types of nest, 

 if placed with them on a tray or table enclosed with a water moat, 

 or in a " Forel arena." The latter is constructed as follows : 

 " On a table, or large board a circular or elliptical enclosure a 

 few feet in diameter is made by laying down a wall of dry, powdered 

 plaster of Paris about two or three inches broad and an inch high. 

 The inner edge of this wall is made smooth and steep with the aid 

 of a putty or case knife. The artificial nest, with its chambers 

 moistened and darkened, is placed in this arena. Then the colony 

 to be installed, together with its brood and the earth of its nest, 

 is dumped from the collecting bag into the arena just as it was 

 brought in from the field. The ants are at first much excited and 

 wander about in the enclosure, but are unable to scale its crumbling 

 walls. They soon learn to avoid the powdery plaster, find the 

 entrance of the nest and migrate into it with their whole brood, 

 and any myrmecophiles they may have. This migration is hastened 

 by spreading out the earth from their old nest so that it may dry. 

 When the colony has entered, the nest opening is plugged with 

 cotton, and the nest is removed from the arena." 



I personally use a wooden box, with a tightly-fitting lid, which 

 I have had made for this purpose. This box is eighteen inches long, 

 twelve inches broad, and twelve inches deep ; a pane of glass 

 being let into the front. Two small holes have been bored through 

 one side of the box near the bottom, and on the opposite side a 

 larger hole has been cut ; these holes being corked with wooden 

 plugs. A bag, or tin full of ants, earth, etc., just as they were dug 

 up, are shot into this box, the lid closed, and a glass tube fitted 

 to one of the smaller holes. This tube is connected with a watered 

 and darkened plaster nest, and as the contents of the box get dry, 

 the ants soon find their way through the tube into the nest. Should 

 the ants refuse to leave the box, or take too long in migrating, 

 carbon, or cotton-wool dipped in ammonia can be inserted through 

 the larger hole to hurry them up. Prepared " Lubbock " or 

 " Janet " nests can also be placed inside the box previous to the 

 introduction of the ants; this takes the place of a "Forel 

 arena/' 



This box has the advantage that it can be taken into the field, 

 and the desired ant colony, etc., transferred directly into it a 

 large carton nest such as that constructed by Donisthorpea fuliginosa 

 is much best treated in this way. I have kept ants in captivity 

 for many years past, including all the British genera, and nearly 

 all the species, besides some continental and exotic ones. 



