i88o.] 
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A nalyses of Books . 
scepticism in America as well as in Europe. Dr. Auguste 
Forel, the well-known historian of the ants of Switzerland, 
remarks that Lincecum’s observations inspired him with little 
confidence. The original papers of this eccentric entomologist 
fortunately fell into the hands of the Rev. Dr. McCook, and led 
to his visiting Texas in order to settle the doubtful points, and 
confirm, if possible, the observations of his predecessors. The 
result of this expedition is the interesting and valuable mono- 
graph now before us. The author took up his residence under 
canvas at Camp Kneass, about three miles from Austin, a region 
swarming with these ants, and devoted his entire time to the 
investigation of their habits and architecture. After his return 
to Philadelphia he continued his studies by means of artificial 
formicaries. 
It is, in the first place, now thoroughly established, that the 
Agricultural Ant, and not a few other species in Australia, India, 
and the countries bordering upon the Mediterranean, do amass 
grain and other seeds during the summer, and employ them as 
provisions during the cold season. Thus by the labours of Col* 
Sykes, J. Traherne Moggeridge, Dr. Thomson, as well as of Dr. 
Lincecum, and our author, the credit of Solomon as an observer 
of animated nature* is re-established, and Latreille, Huber, 
Gould, Kirby, and other eminent observers, are proved to have 
been in error. But what was the mistake of these eminent en- 
tomologists ? They were not inaccurate in their observations 
and experiments, but they were deceived by arguing from the 
ants of England and northern France, which are torpid during 
the winter, and require no food, to those of warmer climates. 
They forgot that what may be true for certain species, and under 
particular circumstances, does not necessarily hold good for other 
species and for the whole world. Hence, by the way, our 
author’s remark in his preface, that from one species the reader 
may learn all, is to be taken with a grain of salt. 
Dr. McCook has watched the agricultural colletting seeds, 
carrying them for a considerable distance to their city and de- 
positing them in underground granaries. _ Here they were 
stripped of their husks which were then carried out as refuse. 
The author submitted to the observation of qualified botanists 
parcels of seeds taken from the ants on their way home, others 
from the granaries, cleaned and uncleaned, and finally samples of 
the refuse. The seeds were found to be those of Buckles dcicty- 
loides , two species of Panicum, Avistida stricta, A. oligeinthia 
(the grass supposed to be harvested in crops by the ant), besides 
seeds of a Croton , a Paspalum, a Malvaceous plant, and a Poly- 
gonum. The refuse contained not a single perfect seed, being 
made up of shells, glumes, and imperfect seeds. 
But a further and yet more interesting question remains. 
* Proverbs, vi., 6, 7, 8. 
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