The Ant 
77 
and neuters. They undergo, too, a com- 
plete change or metamorphosis, beginning 
with the egg, then the grub, then the pupa, 
enclosed in its case, and finally the perfected 
insect. The males and females are winged, 
being produced during a portion of the year 
in large numbers. The male ant retains 
his wings, while the female loses hers 
after pairing. 
During the summer months the males 
and females leave the nest for their “ nuptial 
flight ” in the air. During this flight the 
females become impregnated. The male 
ant then dies, while after impregnation the 
female loses her wings, and finding her way 
to some new situation, sets to work to 
found a new colony, becoming a “ queen,” 
or mother. It is highly probable that 
with ants, as in the case of bees, sexual 
differences are brought about by the 
variation of food while in the larval state, 
the neuter being simply an undeveloped 
female. These neuters may be sub-divided 
into two classes. There are those which 
are literally the hewers of wood and 
drawers of water, i.e., those which build, 
repair, feed, nurse, etc., etc., and those 
