Harvesting Ants and Trap-Door Spiders Notes and Observations on Their Habits and Dwellings

"Harvesting Ants and Trap-Door Spiders" by John Traherne Moggridge is a scientific publication written in the late 19th century. The work primarily focuses on providing an in-depth analysis of the habits and dwellings of harvesting ants and trap-door spiders, based on the author's observations and studies in Mediterranean regions, particularly in Mentone. It aims to contribute to the understanding of these insects' behavior, exploring both their foraging methods and habitat construction. The opening of this observational work introduces the author’s inquiry into the behaviors of harvesting ants, sparked by a discussion at the Linnean Society regarding the presence of seeds in disturbed soils. Moggridge recounts his initial skepticism about whether European ants exhibit seed-storing behaviors, challenging the prevailing opinion of the time. Through detailed observations of the ants’ activities, he documents their systematic harvesting of seeds, methods of nest construction, and the interaction of different ant species with their environment. This exploratory narrative sets the stage for a meticulous examination of the ecological role of these ants and their unique characteristics. (This is an automatically generated summary.)

John Traherne Moggridge was a British botanist, entomologist, and arachnologist. A Fellow of the Linnean Society of London, he was known as a keen naturalist with great observational skills, as well as his paintings and illustrations. He wrote several articles on the fertilisation of plants, and his paintings of plants of southern France appeared in Contributions to the Flora of Mentone. His two volume study, Harvesting Ants and Trap-door Spiders, among other observations, confirmed that harvester ants are present in Europe, and was one of the first comprehensive treatments of the burrowing behaviour of trapdoor spiders. He was a correspondent of Charles Darwin, who cited his work in his books Fertilisation of Orchids and The Descent of Man, and Selection in Relation to Sex.