ANTS AND ANT LIFE 10$ 



for some of the robbers were posted in front, which received 

 those coming down from the upper nest, and after they had 

 conquered all the obstacles in their road, chased them away 

 from 'their booty and took it back again. After the 4th of 

 March Moggridge observed no further hostilities, although 

 the lower, the plundered, nest was not deserted. But when he 

 visited the spot again in the October of the same year, he found 

 the latter quite empty and silent, while the robber nest 

 appeared to be full of life, and its granaries quite filled. In 

 another case, in a battle that had gone on for thirty-one 

 days, the plundered nest was finally wholly deserted, and! 

 when Moggridge opened it he found the granaries totally 

 empty. 



Harvesting ants seize everything in time of need, even 

 quite other food if they can get it ; specially will they take 

 dead insects. Moggridge saw how a dead grasshopper, 

 which he had thrown in front of a nest, was carried inside.. 

 It was too large to pass through the door, so they tried to 

 dismember it. Failing in this, several ants drew the wings 

 and legs as far back as possible, while others gnawed 

 through the muscles where the strain was greatest. They 

 succeeded at last in thus pulling it in. Another day 

 Moggridge saw the wings of the animal appear on the 

 rubbish heap. Harvesting ants kept in captivity devoured 

 dead house flies and the larvae of bees and wasps, but never 

 troubled themselves about the Aphides or similar insects, so 

 much liked by other species. The sweet juices or plant ex- 

 cretions, so much sought after by most ants, appear also to- 

 be despised by them. On the other hand Moggridge saw 

 them gnaw the joints of a dead lizard, and one day watched 

 a fight between two middle-sized individuals of the genus 

 Atta barbara and a thick grey caterpillar an inch long> 

 which in vain made the most vigorous efforts to escape from 

 its little tormentors. Moggridge took the little group home 

 and put them in spirit. But even death could not compel 

 the two robbers to loose their grip of their prey. Mogg- 

 ridge, by throwing an artificial light on ants kept in cap- 

 tivity, had also the opportunity of seeing how they eat the 

 corn or its contents. In a group of ants he discovered one 

 holding fast to a white round lump. This lump was seen 

 to be the mealy part of a millet seed, and Moggridge saw 

 how two or three other ants tore off little particles with. 



