THE HARVESTING ANT. 



445 



Thia specie* u spread largely over the world, and is well 



known at Mentone. It gathers .seeds of various kinds and takes 

 them to its subterranean treasure-houses. The burrows ran to 

 a considerable depth, sometimes passing even through sandstone 

 rock, and at intervals are placed the granaries, which are about 

 aa large as a gentleman's watch Tiny vary in point of depth 

 from the surface, some being fully thirteen inch's deep, and 

 others barely two inches. Among thi Is which the Mentone 

 Ants take into their granaa 

 are those of the oat, nettle, 



■dwell, goosefbot,calaininth, 

 chick weed, amaranth, and shep- 

 herd's purse. They even take; 

 the green seed-vessels of the 

 last-mentioned plant, twisting 

 t hem off neatly with their jaws. 



They are very fastidious as to 

 the quality of the seeds which 

 are brought. A worker, which 

 was evidently but a young one, 

 was seen to bring in some rub- 

 bish instead of the proper seed, 

 and was at once sent hack. 

 Mr. Moggridge played a trick 

 upon them by placing little 

 beads in their way ; at first 

 they took them for seeds and carried them into their nests, 

 but they soon found out their error, and never touched them 

 again. 



With regard to the condition of the seeds, Mr. Moggridge has 

 the following remarks: — 



"It is extremely rare to find other than sound and intact' 

 seeds in the granaries, and we must conclude that the Ants 

 exercise some mysterious power over them which checks the 

 tendency to germinate. 



" Apparently, it is not that moisture or warmth or the in- 

 fluence of atmospheric air is denied to the seeds, for we find 

 them in damp soil, in genial weather, and often but a trilling 

 distance below the surface of the ground, and I have pro 

 that the vitality of the seeds is not affected, by having raised 



Via, 'I'll. — Aphenogaster barbata. 



(Bla-k ) 



