26 JOURNAL, BOMBAY NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY, 1892. 



" are tlie issue of the one or more $ , who originally founded the 

 *' community. The individuals of a community are not, therefore, 

 " as I once thought, the lineal descendants of a foundress $ , but 

 " actually her children. This would explain how ' racial,' and even 

 " 'varietal/ characteristics, are so unchangingly maintained, in a com- 

 " munity. It follows from this that, when the one or more $ of a com- 

 " munity die, or lose their fecundity, through old age, the community 

 *' dies out also. The case of a community, formed by the separa- 

 " tion of a colony from the parent nest is, therefore, exceptional, and 

 "cannot extend its duration. The possibility, that wandering ^ 

 " attach themselves to a fecund $ , and assist her (as conjectured by 

 " Lepeletier and myself) remains, and is admitted, even by Lubbock." 

 Further, Dr. Forel, in a letter to myself, writes : " Blochmann 

 " has resolved the question in a manner absolutely definitive. It is 

 " the fecund $ sola, who founds the new nest, or at least an associa- 

 " tion of fecund Q. ." I confess I have alwa-ys been so convinced, that 

 the ordinary method was No. 2, that I hate been always on the 

 look out for facts, such as the observations of Mr. Taylor and Major 

 Yerbury, on CEcophijlla smaragdina, showing that it was possible 

 for a $ sola to found a community, believing that method to be 

 exceptional. Mr. Rothney, whom I have consulted, assures me 

 he has always held the same view and, consequently, has never 

 specially recorded any observations, showing " foundation" by the 

 2nd method. However, his note on Polyrachis Icevissima, would 

 seem to show that communities are sometimes originated in this way. 

 The theory that a nest never adopts a new $ , but that the duration 

 of a nest depends absolutely on the existence of the foundress $ , asa 

 producer of ^ , is strongly supported by (if it does not directly follow 

 from)the abandonment of the view that the fecund $ is, ordinarily 

 assisted by ? in the task of founding the nest. I would point out 

 to members how valuable would be any observations, which they may 

 be able to make and record bearing on this question, of the manner 

 in which ant communities are founded and maintained. A nest 

 formed, by scission from a parent nest, is undoubtedly exceptional, 

 for a cataclysm (from an ant's point of view) of sufBcient magnitude, 

 to abruptly and completely stop all communication between a colony, 

 and the parent nest, must be of very rare occurrence. 



