ANERGATES. 87 



The following notes on a small community kept in captivity 

 may be of interest : 



September 14th, 1912 a number of workers, several dealated 

 females, and six males, taken in a rufa nest at Weybridge, were 

 established in a plaster nest. September 15th several workers 

 attacked each other, some being dragged about by the legs and 

 antennae this occurred at intervals till September 24th. 

 September 20th two males have died ; all the ants crowd round 

 some honey, and simultaneously tap on the ground (when probably 

 stridulating) whilst devouiing it ; larvae of Leptothorax acervorum 

 taken in the same rufa nest, also eaten. September 24th a few 

 workers dead ; some fifty left. September 30th all the males 

 now dead. October 3rd introduced a rufa worker, it paid little 

 attention to the Formicoxeni, but eventually picked up one and 

 carried it a little way, setting it down again unhurt ; fresh honey 

 being introduced, the rufa went to feed at it, when the little ants 

 crept under it and between its legs to get at the honey ; the rufa 

 moved its legs uneasily when the little ants touched against them. 

 November 1st as the rufa took no further notice of its companions 

 it was put back into its own nest ; more Leptothorax larvae intro- 

 duced, these were collected together into a heap and rested on by 

 the Formicoxeni. December 1st no deaths have pccurred since 

 September 30th ; the Leptothorax larvae appear to be treated as if 

 they were the brood of their hosts. December 30th a few eggs 

 have been laid and placed on the Leptothorax larvae. January 21st, 

 1913 a few young larvae present among the Leptothorax larvae. 

 February 8th introduced a small packet of rufa eggs ; these were 

 never touched, and eventually went mouldy. May 1st all the 

 larvae have disappeared, probably eaten. May 6th introduced 

 some larvae of Leptothorax affinis (from my nest which was taken 

 at Yvorne, Switzerland), these were collected into a heap as before. 

 June 1st only one dealated female and six workers present, resting 

 on the Leptothorax larvae ; the glass cover of the nest not fitting 

 closely, many must have escaped. July 8th on my return home, 

 all the ants were found to have disappeared. These little ants 

 were thus kept in captivity, away from their hosts, for some ten 

 months, and had they not unfortunately escaped, would probably 

 have existed for a much longer period. 



ANERGATES Forel. 



(d, negative prefix ; epyArys, worker). 



Type : Myrmica atratula Schenck (Forel, 1874). 



This extraordinary genus, which is confined to the temperate 

 parts of the Palaearctic Region, only possesses one species, in which 

 the worker phase is absent. 



