12 BULLETIN 647, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



orange trees. They never were found to have tunneled along the 

 principal roots of the older trees, nor were nests found near enough 

 to these roots to affect them. The smaller roots of sickly and dying 

 trees were generally deficient in number. The most evident cause 

 of the poor condition of these trees was gummosis, the trees in some 

 cases being almost completely girdled by it at the crown, and the 

 bark in this section and for some distance along the principal roots 

 being in a rotten condition. No orange roots were found harboring 

 insects of any kind ; there were no host insects of the ant there. In 

 a word, the roots had not the slightest injury traceable to the ants. 



FOODS OF THE ANT DERIVED FROM ANIMAL SOURCES. 



Animal Food Otheb Than Insects. 



A considerable proportion of the food of the ant in the orange groves, 

 even aside from the excretions of scales, aphids, and treehoppers, is 

 of animal origin. The ant habitually feeds upon the flesh of all 

 animals, from the round worms to the vertebrates, that become avail- 

 able to it. In addition to the dead and injured insects, which it 

 finds in all sorts of locations, there is a more or less regular supply 

 of the very prevalent crustacean known as the fiddler crab, which 

 constantly is being crushed underfoot, and of certain small fishes oc- 

 casionally left in the drainage ditches by the sudden removal of 

 water by pumping. The ant also commonly visits piles of discarded 

 oyster shells and feeds upon the particles of flesh adhering at the 

 point of attachment of the oyster. Occasionally it also finds dead 

 birds, field mice, rats, etc. It is unable to break the skin of a rat, 

 as was proved by an experiment, but will clean out the liquids about 

 the eyes and inside the mouth. The ant does not appear to eat 

 muscular tissue in solid form, but shreds it off with the mandibles, 

 lapping up the juices as it works, in the same manner as with fruits. 

 In the artificial formicaries the particles of muscle not eaten are 

 piled up in one of the chambers, and it seems possible that these 

 may be drawn upon at times when meat is scarce. 



In the stable the ant constantly visits the manure and captures the 

 larva? of house flies and other insects. It also visits human excre- 

 ment, whether directly feeding upon it or solely for the capture of 

 scatophagous insects is uncertain. Large trails have been found of 

 ants carrying dung from chicken coops to the nest, and it appears 

 that the ant may utilize this dry excrement for food. Often it is 

 seen visiting bird's nests for the same purpose, though it also finds 

 among the feathers certain refuse that is attractive to it and, perhaps, 

 captures bird lice to some extent. It also has been seen feeding upon 

 the liquid portion of freshly voided chicken excrement. 



