34 
THE ARGENTINE ANT. 
of two pieces in the same manner as the platform, or to nail strips 
across it at right angles to the grain. Both platform and base are 
attached to the standard by long screws with heads countersunk. 
Food is furnished by placing it on a piece of cardboard at any point 
on the cover or platform. The base stands in running water, as 
explained below. This type of cage permits the ants to leave their 
nest within the cage and to forage over the platform, cover, and stand 
in natural fashion, but their escape from the stand is prevented by the 
very natural barrier of water, which they find when they approach the 
bottom of the standard. It is not possible for them to conceal larvse 
or eggs where the observer can not find them and they can not bring 
Fig. 8.— Artificial formicary with parts assembled ready for use. (Senior author's illustration.) 
in larvas or pupa? from outside sources to the annoyance and vexation 
of the student. 
While the ants are very fond of sweets, we have found that sweets 
alone will not suffice for food indefinitely. Animal food is also 
required, and we find that by supplying the colonies with a " balanced 
ration'' of honey and fresh beef or veal they will work in a perfectly 
natural manner for many months without other food. 
The problem of confining the ants to the cage and its stand was not 
so easily solved. We first tried Sir John Lubbock's method of plac- 
ing a moat of glycerine or water about the stand, but both liquids 
