Prof. 0. Heer on the House Ant of Madeira. 211 



proves rainy, their flights are spread over a much longer 

 period, and are thus less numerous. The great ant-swarms 

 of August 1849 lead us by no means therefore to admit, that 

 in that year an unusually great number of ants were produced ; 

 but make it only most evident to every one, how populous 

 the Ant-tribe must be to send out such myriads of winged 

 individuals, from any two of which a new colony might spring. 

 Nor must we at the same time overlook that these winged 

 ants form but by far the smaller portion of the colony, and 

 that an infinitely greater number of unwinged ones remain be- 

 hind in the nests. These creatures not only thus abound with 

 us in the lowlands, but are met with here and there up in the 

 higher Alps (up to 8000 feet above the sea), as they are also 

 found in higher northern latitudes ; Lapland, for instance, even 

 possessing thirteen kinds. Still, in warmer countries they are 

 met with in much greater numbers and more varied forms than 

 with us. Thus they have their home all over the world, and 

 everywhere belong to the most numerously constituted tribes of 

 living creatures. The same condition existed also remarkably in 

 the old world. We are already made acquainted with eighty- 

 three kinds of Ants belonging to a former epoch, from the ter- 

 tiary formation only ; although but two localities (GEningen and 

 Radoboj) have been more closely examined in this respect. 

 These creatures therefore in all ages formed a very important sec- 

 tion in the insect world. They must consequently perform a part 

 of the highest importance in the oeconomy of Nature. In Nature 

 all is motion : unbroken continual production and destruction. 

 Many animals, indeed, in all classes are appointed to destroy 

 and carry away dead substances, and thus prepare again organic 

 matter for new combinations. This office has been assigned to 

 the ants also. They work up and destroy, with industry become 

 proverbial, the productions of the vegetable and animal king- 

 doms. Though the chief bent of their activity is destructive, 

 yet is it, through its operativeness in breaking up and clearing 

 away, besides making preparation for new forms, of the greatest 

 importance in Nature's collective household. And a good deal 

 of the mischief, too, charged upon ants is very unjustly placed to 

 their account ; as when with us people maintain that they do 

 harm to fruit-trees, and try therefore to drive them from their 

 trees. Our species however only hurt the trees when they 

 build their nests amongst their roots ; but the trees themselves, 

 as in general all plants, they only ascend to collect honey from 

 the flowers, and to search for Aphides, whose sweet juices they 

 lick off^. Into our houses they seldom intrude, and the harm 

 they do in them is, in fact, inconsiderable. In warm countries, 

 on the other hand, the case is very diff'erent. There, ants are 



