FEEDING THE COMMUNE 



ally seen going about solitary, probably when acting as 

 scout, but ordinarily is only met in the early morning 

 or late in the afternoon travelling in an unbroken column 

 four to six or eight abreast, by the straight or the easiest 

 road to the scene of operations. This is usually a colony 

 of termites, or white ants, whose galleries have been 

 broken open by the hoof of a passing beast or some like 

 accident. Apparently they do not have the initiative 

 faculty of breaking into the termites' nest, but wait for 

 an accidental opening. Arrived at their destination, 

 every ant seizes her termite prey, swings it under her 

 thorax in the usual way of these porters, and the attack- 

 ing column then moves homeward. But the return 

 formation is much less regular than the advance; it is, 

 in fact, a " march at ease." 



The same writer gives a note on the allied species 

 Lobopelta chinensis. A populous community of this ant 

 had settled in a cavity of the house foundations of Mr. 

 Aitken, who reports the incident. From this nest there 

 ran a well-marked ant road which crossed a broad gravel 

 path and then branched out over the tennis-ground. 

 After sunset the workers would come out and march 

 along one of these branches, or break up into parties and 

 take different routes. Their point of approach was a 

 termite's nest; and when they reached a place where 

 these insects had thrown up new earthworks, and were 

 busy eating dead grass underneath, they collected in 

 dense masses, awaiting an opportunity to break in. 

 This came when the termites sought to extend their 

 works on any side. Then the waiting columns of ants 

 were precipitated in mass upon the unprotected creat- 

 ures, and the slaughter began. Sometimes the ter- 

 mites were killed faster than they could be carried off. 



9 119 



