1956] 
Talbot — Dolichoderus flight 
139 
after standing about for a while, returned to the nest 
even though temperatures were favorable. 
Workers took an interesting part in flight. During the 
first days when females were walking on the mound, 
workers paid no attention to them unless they tried to 
walk down off the nest. Soon the urge to go upward 
became well-developed in males and females, and most of 
them climbed plants directly above the mound without 
urging. However, workers climbed grass blades and 
touched some from behind in such a way that they moved 
upward. In contrast, when flights were slowing for the 
day, or when weather became adverse, workers became 
very active in patrolling grasses and touching, or perhaps 
biting, males and females in a way that induced them to 
walk downward. Occasionally a worker carried a male, 
holding it by the dorsal side of the petiole so that the 
male was upright and to one side of the carrier. More 
rarely females would be carried, but usually they were 
simply “herded” down. Often a great many workers would 
patrol mound and grasses after a flight. Apparently they 
did not contact winged ants by sight because, if a male 
moved out of touch, workers walked about at random until 
they touched it again. Sometimes workers cooperated — 
three were seen hunting one male, and four worked to- 
gether to pull a female down a stem. Only once did workers 
try to prevent a flight. On September 4 at 7 a.m. (59°) 
for about five minutes, they prevented the males and fe- 
males from climbing until they pushed their way above 
the ring of workers on berry stems and grasses and suc- 
ceeded in having a weak flight. 
Spiders profited by flights. On five occasions a spider 
was seen to capture a male and carry it away, and occa- 
sionally a male . would fly into a small web attached to 
grasses near the nest. 
