688 



APPENDIX B. 



(August 9) on tlie same day, while destroying nests in the Gardens, and were 

 portions of separate nests but of the same species. No. 3 was procured on 

 September 5, and is evidently a different although an allied species to Nos. 1 

 and 2. 



"'Finding neither of my nests had a queen, I procured one from another 

 nest about to be destroyed, and placed it with No. 1 nest. It was rcceired by 

 the workers, and at once attended by a numerous retinue in royal style. On 

 August 30 I removed the queen from No. 1 and placed it with No. 2, when it 

 was again received in a most loyal manner. . . , 



" ' Ants taken from Nos. 1 and 2 and placed with No. 3 were immediately 

 destroyed by the latter, and even the soldiers of No. 3, as well as workers or 

 nurses, were destroyed when placed with Nos. 1 and 2. 



" ' In nest No. 2, from which I removed the queen on August 30, there are 

 now in the pupa stage several queens and several males. The forms of ant 

 in nests Nos. 1 and 2 are as follows : (a) queen, (6) male (both winged, but the 

 queen loses its wings after marital flight), (c) large workers, (d) small workers, 

 and (c) nurses. In nest No. 3 I have not yet seen the queen or male, but 

 it possesses— (a) soldier, (b) larger workers, (c) smaller workers, and {d) 

 nurses; but these are different in form to those of nests No. 1 and No. 2. 

 Probably we might add a third form of worker, as there are several sizes in 

 the nest. ... 



" ' It i.^ curious that in No, 1 nest, from which the queen was removed on 

 August 30, new queens and males are now being developed, while in No. 2 

 nest, where the queen is at present, notliing l)ut workers have been brought 

 out, and if a queen larva or pupa is placed there it is at once destroyed, 

 while worker larvae or pupae are amicably received. In No. 3 all the eggs, 

 larvae, and pupae collected with the nest have been hatched, and no eggs have 

 since made their appearance to date. There is no queen with this nest. . . . 

 On November 14 1 attempted to prove by experiment how small a number of 

 " jjarasol " ants it required to form a new colony. I placed two dozen of ants 

 (one dozen workers and one dozen nurses) in two separate nests. No 4 and 

 No. 5. With No. 4 I placed a few larvae with a few rose petals for them to 

 manipulate. With No. 5 I gave a small piece of nest covered with mycelium. 

 On the 16th these nests were destroyed by small foraging ants, known as the 

 "sugar" or "meat" ant, and I had to remove them and replace with a new 

 colony. My notes on these are not sufficiently lengthy to be of nuich im- 

 portance. But I noted four eggs laid on the 16th, or two days after being 

 placed in their new quarters ; no queen being present. The experiment is 

 being continued. I may mention that in No. 4 nest, in which no fungus was 

 present, the larvae of all sizes appeared to change into the pupae stage at once 

 for want of food [a fact corresponding with the fact I have named as observed 

 by myself sixty years ago in the case of wasp larvae]. The circumstance tends 

 to show that the development of the insect is influenced entirely by the feed- 

 ing it gets in the larva stage. 



" ' In nest No. 2 before the introduction of a queen there were no eggs or 

 larvae. The first worker was hatched on October 27, or fifty-seven days after- 

 wards, and a continual succession has since been maintained, but as yet 

 (November 19) no males or queens have made their appearance.' 



" In a letter accompanying the report, Mr. Hart says : — 



"' Since these were published, my notes go to prove that ants can practi- 

 cally manufacture at will, male, female, soldier, worker, or nurse. Some of 

 the workers are capable of laying eggs, and from these can be produced all 

 the various forms as well as from a queen's egg. 



"'There does not, however, appear to be any difference in the diaracter of 

 the food ; as I cannot find that the larger larvae are fed with anything differ- 

 ent to that given to the smaller.' 



