The Zoologist — July, 1866. 1277 



queens had stopped short in the shady woods in consequence of the 

 hot dry weather, and were setting up for themselves in a new style, it 

 being on a declivity and in a densely shaded woodland. I, however, 

 excused them for all these flagrant deviations from their long- 

 established customs by laying it to the continuous drought and hot 

 weather. I did not leave them until I had marked the place that 

 I might visit them again, and find out how such a multiplicity of new 

 settlements in so small a track of country would manage in the future. 

 I then paid a visit to the large old ant city spoken of above : I had 

 many times within the preceding twelve years, visited and made 

 observations on its extraordinary public works. When T came there 

 I was astonished to find that its inhabitants were all gone. T found 

 only the large old mound of sand, now smoothed down by Time's 

 sweeping winds and the passing cattle, but there were no inhabitants — 

 all had disappeared : they had evidently emigrated to the new settle- 

 ments I had encountered down the hill-side in the thick shady forest, 

 and the inhabitants thereof were not, as I at first surmised, the newly- 

 commenced communities of the young queens, but emigrating parties 

 who had gone out from the old city in search of water; their wells 

 having failed they could no longer remain in the city, and having left 

 it had proceeded lower down the hill, and, hoping to find water, were 

 sinking many new wells. Subsequent observations have confirmed 

 me in this opinion. The new settlements in a short time were 

 evacuated : having been unsuccessful in obtaining water at the new 

 place, the ants had either died out or gone to some other district. In 

 accordance with my observations on this subject, I am forced to the 

 conclusion that the drought continued too long for them ; that in 

 districts where the wells are liable to dry up they often perish. I fiud 

 that the kingdoms that are located near a constant stream, are in a 

 flourishing state, and have continued so through all the time of the 

 protracted dry season. 



The cutting ants plant seeds of various trees, vines and other plants. 

 When they locate a city in bald prairie, which is often the case, where 

 they cannot procure the seeds of trees, they cultivate the prickly poppy 

 [Argemone Mexicana), the most appropriate plant for their purpose 

 that grows on the prairie. The seeds of this poppy are planted over 

 the greater portion of the crown of the city mound; the plant springs 

 up during the autumnal rains, forms strong roots in the course of th« 

 winter, and by the time the sun becomes oppressively hot the next 

 spring it has grown up two or three feet high, with umbrageous green 



