. Entomology : with special reference to its biological and economic aspects. ants, Mynnccocystus inclligcr, clinging to the roof of their chamber. Aboutnatviral size.—After McCook. mouths of the honey-bearers, whose crops at length becomedistended with honey to such an extent that the insects () look like so many little translucent grapes or good-sizedcurrants. This stored food is in all probability drawn uponby the other ants when necessary. Leaf-cutting Ants.—The most dangerous foes to vegeta-tion in tropical America are the several species of Atta {CEco-doma,Fig. 28;^, A). Living in
. Entomology : with special reference to its biological and economic aspects. ants, Mynnccocystus inclligcr, clinging to the roof of their chamber. Aboutnatviral size.—After McCook. mouths of the honey-bearers, whose crops at length becomedistended with honey to such an extent that the insects () look like so many little translucent grapes or good-sizedcurrants. This stored food is in all probability drawn uponby the other ants when necessary. Leaf-cutting Ants.—The most dangerous foes to vegeta-tion in tropical America are the several species of Atta {CEco-doma,Fig. 28;^, A). Living in enormous colonies and capableof stripping a tree of its leaves in a few hours, these formida-ble ants are the despair of the planter; where they are abun-dant it becomes impossil)le to grow the orange, coffee, mangoand many other plants. These ants dig an extensive under-ground nest, piling the excavated earth into a mound, some-23 138 ENTOMOLOGY times thirty or forty feet in diameter, and making paths invarious directions from the nest for access to the plants of the. Fig. 284. A, leaf-cutting ant, Atta cephalotes. B, wandering ant, Eciton drcpanophontm; C,Eciton omnizorum. Natural size.—After Shipley. vicinity; Belt often found these ants at work half a mile fromtheir nest; they attack flowers, fruits and seeds, but chiefly leaves. Each ant, by laboringfour or five minutes, bites out amore or less circular fragment ofa leaf (Fig. 284) and carries ithome, or else drops it for anotherworker to carry; and two stringsof ants may be seen, one carry-ing their leafy burdens toward thenest, the other returning for moreplunder. The use made of these leaveshas been the subject of much dis-cussion. Belt found the true ex-planation, but it remained for]\Ioller to investigate the subjectso thoroughly as to lea^•e no roomfor doubt. The ants grow a fun-gus upon these leaves and use itas food. The bits of leaves arekneaded into a pulpy, spongymass, upon which the fungus atlength app
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