Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1886-06-05

Some Curious Stories About the lnhab.
itants Of Ants Nests.

OTHER INSECTS DoMEsrIoArED BY THE WISE
AND THRIFTY ANr-How THEY CORRAL
THEIRHERDs OF PLANT LICE AND BEETLES
INSECTS REARED FROM THE EGG BY ANTS.
Mr.. John B. Smith. assistant curator OF
insects at the National Museum, read before
the Biological society al Its last meeting
An interesting paper on "Ants' Nests and
Their Inhabitants" Ants nests, the paper
said, are found everywhere: In the woods, In
the fields, under the stone walls OF cities and
In houses; not only on the ground, but In the
trees, and not only In the trunks, but among
the leaves. They are varied In design and
general structure are the localities tnha.-
tied, and while some species are content TO
take advantage OLA simple cavity under stone
where they rear their young. Others build great
bills full Of Intricate galleries, extending long
distances into and under the ground. Mr..
smith said that his object was no, 70 speak Of
the nests of the auts 80 much ~ Of their inhab-
tants. These are. of course, primarily the ants
themselves and ny disturbing moderate siBed
nest Oh any o. the larger species the observer
will become speedily Convinced that the popu.
ittion - not a small one. Bat not ants alone
are found In these nests-there is u very distinct
iauna that lives with, and perhaps partly Oh,
the ants, and the species OF which ure never
iound elsewhere. In Europe nests have been
,ound where the intruders or guests exceeded
IN numbers The ants themselves. The number
Cd species known 10 innabit such nests in Eu-
rope reaches we'll into me hundreds. over u
hundred species having been found in single
uest; while In America comparatively few
species have been found.
PLANT LICE REARED BY ANTS
In one Interesting group described by Mr..
Smith-insects which the ants collect aud care
for-the aphides or plant lice, he said, played
an important part II is well known, he
said. That the ants seek the plant lice and
Hex The sweet excretiOnS. but II is less
KNOWN, PERHAPS, thai they also collect aud
tse 'oas vs SPECIES, Provains ,. homes r, ,"r
commonly around Washington aud around
New York wei ILLUSTRATES tnis group. The ans
make their nests under large stones aud close
To- The roots Oi trees OF SHRUBS. They carefully
excavate galleries around u root, or series vi
ruots, anu then uullect The winter syg oil Penp-
nigus IN large nuinuers, not oy hundreds, but
oy thousduus, eggs tiiat no entOuOiuRisL n;ss
Yet succeeded In hnuing. These are carefully
riaced IN suitable situations around the cleaned
root, and the Pemphixus, when hatcned, nnd
their iood supply ready at hand aud in return
are expected w isid sweets ~ the ants. The
winged forln vi this species leaves the nest aud
pro, iues tor u ontinuatlon % tue ruce, aud the
.ints are then compelled " lay In q new supply
vi eggs.
"LADY.BIRD" LOVED ny ANTS.
1t would he supposed that the ants would be
very Careful 70 keep out all enemies of these,
their domestic animals; but there IS one species
that gets In aud In undisturbed. II Is the
larva oI common lad -bird -Bracn yacan tina
ufsina. IL seeretes waxy substance that
III iOAS Strings d1u slfeS Tue luS6ctS Lille
appearance oI being covered WITH cotton or hoar
iro>t This secretion seems to be much more
paiatable to Tue ants than that vi tue Pempnl-
gus, aud they fundamentally see the "iuuy.
bird feeding upon the former, apparently con-
Guiding tuat the flavor Is Improved by passing
through the latter. sometimes IL happens that
desired species OF apn,d wiii not 1--we uuder-
ground, anu THIS coinpels the ants 10 adopt AN.
otner method. They construct roads To tho
Fees inhabited by tue aphids anu buiid ga-
ieries around the plant lice, effectuaiy protect
Tug anu uoiilesticaLiug tuein. Mr. SIIitn meIi-
TONED Also SPECIES OF ants which are ensiayed
10y Tue owners vi the nest Tue history oI that
species which, Captures ants o. Otnsr species, re-
uuces the'n to slavery, aud becomes SO auso-
iuteiy dependent UPON its slaves That IL perisues
known, anu offers one vi tue most interesting
phases vi insect ecouOny. III. Smith gave AL
account also vi the beetles ami otuer insects.
whicn 1--we IN anus nests only III the l8rval
state. WHAT purpose these iarva serve In the
econoiny u, tue i.est aud what Tue, ,erd on, IL
nyaLery. The present theory is t.l,al they Iced
upon the decayIns or Ierineniiny vegetable
matter IN the ncst, And, oeins L.ius useful Us
scaSengers. are tolerated by their uo,ts. Tue
manure Insects seem ~ be nj use ~ the ants
aud they MAKE 40 effort " retain them.
sI9 BUGS HELD IN SERVICE.
Another group. the third mentioned by Mr.
Smith. contains insects that are found In The
ants nssts In LIE perfect stage. and Is the most
numerous. IL comprises species OF many orders
anu of widely divergent families. Most OF the
species aie known III .ne image stale only, and
IL mas lous oeen, aud ~ sill, u puzzle to eu,o-
mOlog ists, where the InsIlaLure STATES oi tlsse
insects are passed. A species does not, except
In rare INSTANCES, inhaDtt the uest Oh more tlau
Que species vi ant. On the other hand each
species OF ant has lis own peculiar fauna OF
guests, 80 that II 10 ps'.siOis, with u series Of
guests al hand, to ten precisely from what ats
nest they wee obts,iuou. the oniy ueueIli LuaL
Is kuowu tu We derived by Tue ant, Iruiu ANY vi
the species II in the suApo Ut u ipr, ,bab ly sweet
SECRETION. ProinInent among tness are tue
SPECIES VI astocniiuo, most them SPECIES
vi immense SIZE, COMPARED Win that Ut lne
All with WHICH t.iey ave. These Insects have
u S,anulierous surface at Lie mind angle vi the
lnurax, covered with thin plate anu several
specIihens nave been ooserSs d where luis plate
has becn gnawed on by the AUS to ate
The getting Al the SECRETION vi TIE glands. These
species are OF large size, and whole squads vi
.lIts have been observed ih .ns TASK Of prevent
tiaS the escape oi AN iuuividuai tnat tsa. appar-
emily Uccoine tired VI las quarters.
he.efsins ~ the ~ aciice among ants OF lickiu.
the OrlsIy tuiLs upon certain iIsecis, assumed
To be secretary organs, Ar. oInIin said LesLes,
FrencnIiau, observed that lh1 ants seemed To
COAX a beetle " lower LIS abuOmcn wllIiin
reach, anu wnsneSeI thiS was d1us they at ouce
pouaceu On tne tuiLs Vi Oflsfies lie ieu the an u
WIZ sugar 4id water, aud observed in one In.
stance tii.,t oeelie approached feeding ant,
ulsiuC ALI aulennai cOLu IN icAtiOn, and tuat
IuereupOu Liie auL Lurueu, opened It's il. VS. and
permitted the beetle W licx roin its mouth t..u
sweels upon wnicu II had beeu ieeuiuy. Tnis
observation requires verinca.iou, bus tnsre IL
notniux lmprouaoie in IL
FOLLOWING THE AKTA
II an ants nest be 80 disturbed that the in.
haoi.auts seek other quarter. the inouilines
also leave the spot, and loii0w their hosts, with
out which IL seeIus they cannol exist Tor any
length vi time. Hostil0 a. the auls are as a
rule, therefore 10 other Insects, lucy yer MAKE
IL large number vi exceptions. Even Exciton,
thai serUcious ant, Wii.se fOruys Bates uas de-
scribed III h1s ,uraiist On TIE AlIlAxuu," ua,
Its inQuilines. Tuese ants uutiu no permanent
nestS, uui rataer temporary c,inls, Wulsn they
iea.e at tne sii.D.esL prUVoca.ion, ana ON al,
their wanueriLss their IDQuIiiues ioiiOw Liiein
llae Iierus vi cattle. AUS iVutiuu hsas bee
but recently made by W III. Miller wuC care u, "
observed Al ARMY on Ole ~ .of4ys. Suinr
ans Iiat bunu oVersrOund or surface nesls
leave tneif quarters al the approach vi cold
Weather aud construct winter uesI sulue dis
ia.ice oil unuerSrouud. The iuquilines may bs
the ants have lett, b y eventually lucy also
leave the nest anu are SUPPOSED ~ tul.oW. AT
ANY rate tIey disappear.
/, often nappvus THAT two, or even three,
SPECIES VI AuIs nave tieir 0esIs under Oie larxe
stone AMI o'tsu, TIN, tue ternites, or s>,-<.aiied
white AUS, nase &iso coiouy there. These
species seeln ali u ave uInIc.lUiy LO.eIiler ~
Stone Is lurued they seoiu " thiak Iual the
otner species Is, In some way respousiDie, and
au iudi,cs eliminate Lyit tOiiVws II the VeriuIIes
are IN L,ie Held tuey are tue ones tuAg are AZ
tacned, AMI their sat int bOuies Otisg sucu
iVor1oie points Vi attack that they are uticriy
routed and driven Into tiieir galleries. AnOluer
cl,ss os Iusect guests c..n W seSafued only al
Visitors. Tuey appear W be acciIeuL... iui,ab-
itauts, just a. aouauant else where, uuL uOl 81
Ine iiln class suuiuerateu by .Gr. nllliLn are
Ilis lrac pA1.lsILea
ASSUMING THE APPEARANCE OF ANTS
Mr.