©bservations on ante. 
By Wm. A. Smaixcombe. 
HAVING had little experience in lecturing or paper reading, 
you will, I hope, excuse me if my remarks are a little dis- 
jointed. However, I will do my best to tell you something about 
those tiny creatures — Ants. 
Firstly, it will be as well to see where Ants are placed in the 
classification of insects. 
They belong to that great order called Hymenoptera, which 
means that they are insects which undergo complete metamor- 
phosis and possess four naked wings. 
The table is as follows : — 
Order — Hymenoptera 
I 
Sec. — Acule ATA 
! 
DlV. — H ETEROGYNA 
I I 
Sllb-dlVS. — SOCIALIA — SOLITARIA 
Fams. — Formicid^e 
Myrmecid^e Mutillid^e 
PONERID^E 
My remarks will deal only with the social Ants. The body of the 
Ant is divided into three main portions — head, thorax and 
abdomen. The first segment of the abdomen is constricted, 
forming a node or petiole. 
It is chiefly because of the differences found in these nodes that 
the Ants are split into families. 
All Ants pass through four stages — ovum, larva, pupa and 
imago. The ova are very minute whitish bodies, which are held 
together in little masses of 20 or 30 with some transparent glutin. 
It is interesting to note that the eggs grow somewhat after being 
laid. 
The larvae hatch from the ova as little white grubs, which are 
quite devoid of legs. The body is segmented and slightly hairy ; 
the head is bent round acutely. The larvae are quite unable to 
walk or to feed themselves. In the Formicidae and Poneridae the 
pupae are enclosed in cocoons (commonly known as ants' eggs). 
The cocoons are composed of fine silk which is made firm by some 
liquid exuded by the larvae. When a larva is fu" *\ the 
