1957] 
Wilson — Pheidole sitarches 
47 
to observe a nuptial flight of the small myrmicine ant 
Pheidole sitarches . The flight occurred on August 9 near 
Datil, Catron Co., in an abandoned homesite surrounded 
by sparse juniper woods. The area, normally very dry, 
had received a moderate rain during the afternoon, so 
that the upper layers of soil were moistened, and in the 
late afternoon, when the flight was in progress, the sky 
was still overcast. The flight was in full swing when first 
encountered at about 5:00 p.m., and it persisted, with little 
or no decline, until nightfall, at about 7 :30 p.m. 
Three swarms developed in the homesite area. Each 
hovered over a conspicuously bare spot in the weed-grown 
yard, in particular a garbage pit, the corner of a collapsed 
stone wall, and a pile of rotting wood. Only the swarm 
above the garbage pit persisted throughout the observa- 
tion period; the other two did not form until about 7:00 
p.m. The swarms were roughly circular in shape and 
highly variable in size, containing at various times from 
approximately fifty individuals to none at all, and ranging 
in diameter up to about six feet. Their centers were 
usually located from five to six feet from the ground but 
occasionally shifted temporarily under the force of the 
wind to as low as a few inches from the ground surface 
or as high as ten feet from the ground. The attraction of 
the swarms to the bare spots mentioned was absolute. 
Occasional gusts of wind shifted the ants away or dispersed 
them altogether, but they quickly re-gathered in a swarm 
over the original spot. 
Males made up the bulk of the swarms. These hovered 
more or less stationary and facing in an upwind direction 
when the wind was blowing, but flew zig-zag back and 
forth within the limits of the swarm when the air was 
relatively quiet. New individuals were constantly approach- 
ing from various directions out of the nearby juniper 
woods, while older members of the swarm were simul- 
taneously being blown away downwind or dropping out 
as they successfully mated with queens, so that the mem- 
bership of the swarm was always turning over. The origin 
of the males was not determined, but very likely they were 
emerging from nests in the near vicinity. Two nests of 
