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GARDENING ANTS.

The operations of various species of Gardening Ants have recently been
very thoroughly investigated at Blumenau by Herr Alfred Moeller, nephew
of Dr. Fritz Mueller ("Die Pilzgaerten einiger suedamerikanischer
Ameisen." Heft 6 of Schimper's "Botanische Mittheilungen aus den
Tropen." Jena: G. Fischer, 1893. Herr Moeller's work is clearly
summarised by Mr. John C. Willis in "The Fungus Gardens of certain
South American Ants," _Nature_, 24th August 1893).

The ants of Blumenau chiefly differ from those described by Belt in
that they form very narrow streets, in which they travel only in
single file, and also that their nests occur both in the forest and in
the open. The commonest species is the _Atta_ (_Acromyrmex_)
_discigera_, Mayr, and the workers are never more than 6.5 mm. long.
There are other species of _Atta_ which have very similar streets;
one, the _Atta hystrix_, Latr., appears to work only at night. A
minute description is given of a street of _A. discigera_, which was
26 metres long and about 1.5 cm. wide and high, roofed in in parts
wherever possible. It led to a number of small Cupheas, whose leaves
the ants were cutting. In the street could be seen a procession of
loaded ants going towards the nest, and others empty-handed, going in
the opposite direction. Some of the large workers run up and down the
road unloaded, and act as road-menders if any accident happens to a
part of the track. Other very small workers, which do not cut leaves,
may also be seen carried upon the backs or even upon the loads of the
actual leaf-cutters. An ant carrying a peculiarly shaped piece of leaf
was watched from end to end of the track, and travelled the 26 m. in
70 minutes. The load was twice as heavy as itself.

The plants attacked by the ants were found to be very numerous, and
the ants seemed to be very capricious in this respect, one day
stripping a plant and the next day leaving it untouched.

The jaws of the ants are very strong, with serrated edges, and clash
together laterally. The ant begins at the edge of a leaf, and cuts out
a piece in about five minutes, revolving on one of its hind legs as a
centre. When the piece is almost freed, the ant goes on to the main
portion of the leaf, cuts through the last piece uniting it with the
severed portion, drags up the latter, balances it on edge between its
forelegs, and then, grasping it with its