442 THE AMERICAN NATURALIST. [Vor. XXXV. 
under these circumstances as a politic act of hospitality on 
the part of a defenseless but intelligent creature. To-day 
there would be little hesitation in interpreting it as merely a 
machine-like reflex called into activity by its customary stimu- 
lus, the presence of the Myrmicas. That the truth lies some- 
where between these two conceptions, though possibly nearer 
that of reflex than of intelligent action, was apparent from the 
subsequent behavior of the Leptothorax. These ants undoubt- 
edly had some dim desire to remove the Myrmicas from their 
nest, for from time to time a Leptothorax was seen to pull 
with her mandibles at the fore leg or antenna of one of the 
intruders, as if to remind her that there are limits to polite 
hospitality. This action was never performed by the Lepto- 
thorax while foraging in the Myrmica galleries, but it was 
regularly performed whenever, as on this and several subse- 
quent occasions, any Myrmica broke into the central chamber. 
The direction of the tugging was not very definite or constant. 
Often when a Myrmica thrust its head through the wall, the 
tugging was indeed towards the interior of the chamber, as i 
to draw the intruder in. But as the small ant was not able 
to move the large Myrmica, and as it could not under the 
circumstances tug in any other direction, the action could 
hardly be regarded as anything more than a gentle means of 
persuading the Myrmica to leave. This tugging was the 
only act even approaching hostility witnessed between be 
two species. The Myrmicas never showed the slightest a 
tation towards the Leptothorax, never seized them in their 
mandibles, nor even menaced them. They seemed rather to 
look upon the little creatures with gentle benevolence, much i 
human adults regard little children. They never passed their 
little guests without the antennal greeting, and the Leptothorax 
shampooed their hosts with comical zeal. 
The two Myrmica workers whose intrusion into the Lepto- — 
thorax chamber led to the above observations finally departed, 
only to give a second party of Myrmicas an opportunity e 
make a large breach in the wall at xx. These entered the 
chamber at 1.20 p.m. and were received in the same ga 
manner as the first party, and in turn departed after being 3 
