HABITS OF ANERGATES, 87 
upon their slaves, and cannot even feed themselves. 
The whole problem is, therefore, most puzzling and 
interesting.! 
As regards Strongylognathus, Von Hagens made two 
suggestions, the first being that this insect is really a 
monstrous form of Tetramoriwm. This, however, 
cannot at any rate be the case with Anergates. On 
the whole, then, he inclines to think that perhaps the 
nests containing Strongylognathus or Anergates are 
only parts of a community, and that the young of the 
Tetramoriums are in another nest of the same com- 
munity. This would account for the absence of the 
young of the Tetramoriums, but would not remove 
all the difficulties. It is in other respects not 
consistent with what we know of the habits of ants, 
and on the whole I agree with Forel in thinking the 
suggestion untenable. 
The difficulty of accounting for the numbers of 
Tetramoriums, coupled with the absence of young, 
was indeed almost insuperable as long as the workers 
were supposed to live only for one year. My observa- 
tions, however, which show that even in captivity a 
nest may continue for five years, place the question in 
a different position, and give us, I think, a clue. 
On the whole, I would venture to suggest that the 
male and female Anergates make their way into a nest 
1 On the contrary, in Zomognathus sublevis, a Finland species 
which lives in the nests of Leptothorax muscorwm and L. acervorum, 
the workers only are known, The male, like that of Aneryates, is 
wingless. 
