HARVESTING ANTS. 39 



were travelling towards the upper nest, some few 

 were going in the opposite dii-ection and making for 

 the lower. Besides this, at intervals, combats might 

 be seen taking place, one ant seizing the free end of a 

 seed carried by another, and endeavouring to wrench 

 it away, and then frequently, as neither would let go, 

 the stronger ant would drag seed and opponent to- 

 wards its nest. At times other ants would interfere 

 and seize one of the combatants and endeavour to 

 drag it away, this often resulting in terrible mutila- 

 tions, and especially in the loss of the abdomen, 

 which would be torn off while the jaws of the victim 

 retained their indomitable bull-dog grip upon the 

 seed. Then the victor might be seen dragging away 

 his prize, while its adversary, though now little more 

 than a head and legs, offered a vigorous though of 

 course ineffectual resistance. I frequently observed 

 that the ants during these conflicts would endeavour 

 to seize one another's antennae, and that if this were 

 effected, the ant thus assaulted would instantly re- 

 lease his hold, whether of seed or adversary, and 

 appear utterly discomfited. Ko doubt the antennae 

 are their most sensitive parts, and injuries inflicted 

 on these organs cause the greatest pain. 



It was not until I had watched this scene for some 

 days that I apprehended its true meaning, and dis- 

 covered that the ants of the upper nest were robbing 

 the granaries of the lower, while the latter tried to 

 recover the stolen seeds both by fighting for them and 

 by stealing seeds in their turn from the nest of their 

 oppressors. The thieves, however, were evidently 

 the stronger, and streams of ants laden with seeds 

 arrived safely at the upper nest, while close observa- 

 tion showed that very few seeds were successfully 



