BULLETIN OF THE GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA 

 Vol. 21, pp. 449-496, PL. 35 AUGUST 20, 1910 



GEOLOGIC WOEK OF ANTS IN TEOPICAL AMEEICA^ 



BY J. 0. BRANNEB 



{Bead before the Cordilleran Section of the Society March 25, 1910) 



CONTENTS 



Page 



Introductory 450 



The true ants 453 



Abundance .' 453 



Destructiveness 455 



Attacks on man 457 



Beneficial ants 459 



Ants as food 462 



Structures above ground 463 



Origin of the structures 463 



Size of the mounds 464 



Age of the mounds 470 



Underground worli 471 



Relations to the soil 474 



The white ants, or termites 476 



General characteristics 476 



Abundance 476 



Animals feeding on termites 477 



Structures above ground 479 



General characteristics 479 



Age of the mounds 487 



Underground structures 487 



Relation of nests to the soil 487 



Relations to vegetation 488 



Phosphorescence 491 



Geologic work 493 



Earth moved 493 



Organic matter 494 



Openings in the soil 494 



Resume 494 



Postscript 495 



* Manuscript received by the Secretary of the Society April 29, 1910. 



(449) 

 XXXII — Bull. Geol. Soc. Am., Vol. 21, 1909 



