in.] LOSS OF INSTINCT OF FEEDING. 79 



than two days. They had not even traced out a dwelling, and the 

 few ants still in existence were languid and without strength. I 

 commiserated their condition, and gave them one of their black 

 companions. This individual, unassisted, established order, formed 

 a chamber in the earth, gathered together the larvae, extricated 

 several young ants that were ready to quit the condition of pupae, 

 and preserved the life of the remianing Amazons." 1 



This observation has been fully confirmed by other 

 naturalists. However small the prison, however large 

 the quantity of food, these stupid creatures will starve 

 in the midst of plenty, rather than feed themselves. I 

 have had a nest of this species under observation for a 

 long time, but never saw one of the masters feeding. I 

 have kept isolated specimens for weeks by giving them 

 a slave for an hour or two a day to clean and feed them, 

 and under these circumstances they remained in per- 

 fect health, while, but for the slaves, they would have 

 perished in two or three days. I know no other case in 

 nature of a species having lost the instinct of feeding. 



In P. rufescens, the so-called workers, though thus 

 helpless and stupid, are numerous, energetic, and in 

 some respects even brilliant. Tn another slave-making 

 species, however, Strongylognathus, the workers are 

 much less numerous, and so weak that it is an unsolved 

 problem how they contrive to make slaves. 



Lastly, in a fourth species, Aner gates atratulus, the 

 workers are absent, the males and females living in nests 

 with workers belonging to another ant, Tetramorium 

 ccespitum. In these cases the Tetramoriums, having no 

 queen, and consequently no young of their own, tend 

 the young of the Anergates. It is therefore a case 



1 Huber, Natural History of Ants. 



