40 JOURNAL, BOMBAY NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY, 1890. 



and came closer to the nest, seizing and cutting away with the most 

 systematic determination ; by stooping down a little you could dis- 

 distinctly hear the snip, snip of the mandibles as they severed heads 

 and bodies of the apparently unoffending gemminatus. This went on 

 till 5-30, when compressus commenced an attack on the main entrance 

 to the nest itself ; and now the fight became more general. After 

 a rapid dash at the entrance compressus would retreat, covered with 

 these little red ants ; some would be jerked off, but the more perti- 

 nacious required individual clearing, and I noticed compressus adopted 

 a very clever plan of freeing her legs from the enemy : say one or 

 more ants were holding on to her leg, she would then encircle that 

 limb with her mandibles above the hold of the red ants, and then, 

 instead of moving the jaws, would draw the leg through, a process 

 very like shredding currants ; of course gemminatus would often get 

 a hold where this process could not be applied, but compressus always 

 managed to free herself at last, and then off to the entrance again for 

 a fresh attack. Twice while watching, compressus, covered with red 

 ants, rolled from the base of the column to the steps below, but as 

 soon as she freed herself, up she mounted again and renewed the 

 fight. At 6 o'clock I went for the usual evening drive, and left my 

 friend hard at it. On my return at 8 the fight was still going on, 

 although it was then dark, and compressus was showing evident signs 

 of exhaustion. At 9-30 I went out again to see how matters stood, 

 and found compressus still alive, but covered with foes and almost 

 done to death. I picked her up, cleaned off the red ants, brought 

 her indoors, put her in a comfortable open box, and prepared some 

 syrup of sugar and sherry, but on going to the box the next morning 

 I was grieved to find her stiff and dead. I have always regretted 

 I did not mix her syrup with brandy or port instead of sherry, but 

 I fear she was past recovery. After bringing her in the night 

 before, I went back with a light and gathered up some of the dead 

 from the battle-field, and of the odds and ends of heads and bodies. I 

 made out next day some 53 slain, but the total must have been much 

 greater, as I did not succeed in picking up in the defective light of a 

 wall-lamp, anything like the whole of the killed. I should be inclined 

 to estimate the total as near 150 to 200. I did not observe any 

 wounded ; compressus did her work too effectively for that. 



