252 INSECTS AND MAN 



and, in the words of Professors Newell and Barber, who 

 have several times observed the process, "the larva ordinarily 

 lies upon its side or back. The attending worker approaches 

 from any convenient direction, usually from one side or 

 from the direction in which the head of the larva lies, and, 

 spreading her mandibles, places them over the mouth parts 

 of the larva, which are slightly extended. The tongue of 

 the worker is also in contact with the larval mouth. 

 While the worker holds the body and mandibles stationary 

 a drop of light-coloured, almost transparent, fluid appears 

 upon her tongue. This fluid disappears within the mouth 

 of the larva, but it cannot be ascertained to what extent 

 the larval mouth parts are moved during the operation, 

 as they are obscured from view by the mandibles and 

 head of the attending worker. Slight constrictions of the 

 larval abdomen during feeding are sometimes noticeable, 

 at other times not. The time required for feeding a single 

 larva varies from three to thirty seconds, depending doubt- 

 less on the hunger of the 'baby.' The workers proffer 

 food to, or at least inspect, each larva, for the worker 

 doing the feeding will place her mandibles to the mouth 

 of one larva after another, feeding those who seem to 

 require it." 



Feeding the larvae is but one of the duties of the attend- 

 ant workers, keeping them clean is another, and by 

 constantly licking their charges with their tongues they 

 keep them in a state of absolute cleanliness. As in the 

 case with other larval ants, there is no open connection 

 between stomach and intestine, and all undigested food is 

 retained in the former organ till just before the semi- 

 pupal stage, when communication with the intestine is 

 established and the undigested food voided. Towards the 

 end of the larval stage it is possible to distinguish between 

 workers and males. The worker larvae are not so large as 

 the male larvae, though in other respects they are similar ; 

 the queen larvae have not been observed. The duration of 



