Prof. 0. Heer on the House Ant of Madeira. 213 



living under eight. In tbe city of Funchal there can scarcely be 

 a house which does not harbour millions of these creatures, 

 which mount up to the highest stones, issue forth in whole 

 troops out of the chinks of the walls and floor, and in orderly 

 regular columns traverse the room in all directions. They creep 

 up the table legs, along their edges, upon the tables themselves, 

 and even into chests of drawers, boxes, &c. Being extremely 

 small, they can get in through the smallest cracks and holes. 

 You may kill thousands on thousands, and yet perceive no de- 

 crease of them ; they are continually replaced by new hosts in 

 the rear. Only after very heavy rains, during which the water 

 that came down in torrents made its way between the walls of 

 our house, did we observe some sort of diminution, which we 

 thought might indicate that a large number had been drowned. 

 I found these ants however not only in Madeira, but also at 

 Seville, in the rooms of our hotel in the middle of the city. 



This little creature is attached to no particular kind of food ; 

 in houses it attacks all sorts of provisions laid in store, especially 

 preferring sweet things (sugar, honey, syrup, preserved fruits) ; 

 but not less also fresh fleshy fruits of all kinds. If you leave 

 on the table a custard-apple, a lemon, or an orange, having only 

 the smallest opening possible through the rind, you may safely 

 reckon that in an hour's time it will be full of ants, going to 

 and fro in whole trains. But if there be no opening in the 

 fruit, it is then safe. It would be indeed an easy matter for the 

 ants to gnaw through the leathery coats ; but the essential oils, 

 which they plentifully contain, appear to protect them ; for all 

 insects are known to avoid these oils. They seem to prefer flesh 

 to vegetable substances. Raw and boiled meat is eagerly sought 

 by them ; but insects are very decidedly preferred. I had great 

 trouble to guard my collections of insects from them. At first 

 they made their way in numbers into the boxes, and my painfully 

 collected treasures were grievously mutilated by them, until I 

 found a means to make them more secure from them. They do 

 not however seek after dead insects only, but attack also the 

 living. Very droll it is to see how these tiny little creatures 

 seize on flies ! Let a fly settle on the table-cover near an ant, 

 and at once the latter springs upon it, seizing it by a leg. The 

 fly tries instantly to get free from its enemy and escape ; but the 

 ant has grappled on to the table-cover by its legs, and with its 

 pincers holds the fly fast. Other ants soon come to help the 

 first, and the fly is lost. This is much sooner the case when 

 soldier-ants are near. These spring at once like cats upon the 

 fly, and gnaw off" first its wings and legs, so that it is then easily 

 carried off" by the labourers. But the soldiers never make the 

 first seizure ; they are much more cowardly than the labourers. 



