1886. Notes on the Leaf-cutting Ants of Trinidad. 120 
drocolaptes which feed almost entirely upon ants, to see if there 
was any foundation for this theory, but found very few indeed of 
the so-called “ worker majors,” although the crops were distended 
with “ worker minors.” In other works on natural history they 
are termed “ warriors,” but they by no means correspond to the 
warrior or soldier class in the Termites, for instance. They have 
no special offensive or defensive weapons, their movements are 
more sluggish even than those of the smaller ants, and when the 
nest is disturbed by poking it with a stick, the smaller ants only 
prove pugnacious. In the battles which so often occur between 
the mail-clad bandits of Trinidad forests, the savage “ Ecitons,” 
or “ hunting ants ” and the “ parasol ants,” the brunt of the fight 
is borne by the “worker minors” who always drive off the 
marauding Ecitons. 
In some CEcodomas there is a series of intermediate forms be- 
tween the working minors and the working majors, and in some 
species all take part in leaf-cutting. Besides these workers there 
are two other classes, which never leave the mines, the worker _ 
nurses, to be distinguished from the working minors chiefly by 
their hairy heads, and another class of very large ants, individ- 
uals of which are found nearly an inch in length. This class is 
represented in each formicarium by only a few individuals, which 
are distinguished by their large hairy heads and the possession 
of a twin ocellus placed in the middle of the forehead. These 
never leave the mines, and are seen only when the formicarium is 
opened. 
The ant hill referred to above being a pest to the neighboring 
plantations, it was determined to destroy it. Poisons were found 
useless. Corrosive sublimate and potassium cyanide were mixed 
with farina and deposited near the nest. These were simply 
ignored; the ants would not touch them after a few had fallen 
victims. A solution of arseniate of soda was next sprinkled 
upon orange leaves, which were strewed upon the mound. These 
were eventually cleared away, although at an immense sacrifice 
of life. This points, I think, to the true ant food, since unless 
the juices of the leaves as they were sawed up were swallowed, 
the poison would have had no effect. This idea is strengthened 
by the fact that fiery and strongly aromatic plants as well as 
those with poisonous, milky juices are carefully avoided. No 
Solid food is found in the crops of the insect at any time, but if 
