SIR JOHN LUEEOCK ON ANTS, BEES, AND WASPS. 



621 



for a moment or two ; but tiie. other auts soon seemed to find out 

 their mistake, aud on the whole they were certainly treated as 

 friends, the attacks- never lasting more tlian a few moments. 

 One of them was watched at intervals of half an hour until 5 p.m. ; 

 the other we could not distinguish after 3, the paint having been 

 removed ; but we should certainly have observed it had she been 

 attacked. 



On tlie whole, then, all the 32 ants belonging to Formica fusca 

 and Zasius niger^ removed from their nest as puj)ae, attended by 

 friends and restored to their own nest, were amicably received. 



What is still more remarkable, of 22 ants belonging to F.fiosca, 

 removed as pupsB, attended by strangers, and returned to their 

 own nest, 20 were amicably received. As regards one I am 

 doubtful ; the last was crippled in coming out of the pupa-case ; 

 and to this perhaps her unfriendly reception may have been due. 



Of the same number of Lasius niger developed in the same 

 manner from pupae tended by strangers belonging to the same 

 sj)ecies, and then returned into their own nest, 19 were amicably 

 received, three were attacked, and about two I feel doubtful. 



On the other hand, 15 specimens belonging to the same two 

 species, removed as pupae, tended by strangers belonging to the 

 same species, and then put into the strangers' nest, w^ere all 

 attacked. 



The results may be tabulated as follows : — 



""bTfrieSanr ■ Pup. brought up by strangei-e. 

 1 s . , , ■ , Put in own nest. Put in strangers' nest. . 



replaced m their own nest. ^ 



Attacked 7* 15 



Received amicably. .32 37 



I propose next season to make some more experiments of 

 this nature ; but even the above results seem to me very inte- 

 resting. The differences cannot be referred to any difference of 

 temperament in different nests. Tor instance, any idea that 

 the specimens of Formica fusca experimented with in August 

 and September, and amicably received, Avere so on account of 

 the peaceable character of the nests, is disposed of by the facts. 

 Thus specimens of F. fusca experimented with in August and 

 September last were taken principally from two nests, numbered 

 respectively 36 and 60. Now, while nest 36, in most cases, 

 amicably received ants bred from its own pupae but tended by 

 ants from 60, it show^ed itself fatally hostile to ants from pupa) 

 * About three of these I do not feel sure. 



