formica

[Lat.=an ant.] 1. Entom .: The typical genus of the family Formic i dae (q. v.). It has the foot-stalk of the abdomen composed of a single joint; the mandibles are triangular, and denticulated at the edge. The females are destitute of a sting. Of these Formica san guinea makes its nest in wood, and is a slaveholder, carrying off the young of other species such as those of F. cunicularia and F. fusc a . Of the foreign species, F. saccharivora makes its nest at the foot of sugar canes, so loosening the land that they are blown down by gales. F. indefe a , an In dian species, is a great devourer of sweets. [ANT.] 2. Falconry: A disease in a hawk's bill.