QQ BULLETIN OF THE ESSEX INSTITUTE. 



nical words. The latter was then alone, all the others 

 being large-headed and seemingly bent on his destruction. 

 But Mike was undaunted and full of fight in spite of being 

 alone among numerous big-headed foes. Indeed, the latter 

 seemed generally afraid to get too near him. At length 

 one of them ventured to clasp jaws, which seems to be 

 the " first hold."' Then the two began to bend their tails 

 as if to sting or to inject poison into one another's mouth, 

 an issue which each endeavored to prevent. Other ants 

 attacked Mike, pulling upon his legs and attempting to 

 fasten upon the connection of his abdomen. Meg dragged 

 Mike about, both at times apparently attempting to sting. 

 Mike was dying in half an hour, probably from exhaus- 

 tion or poison. 



Later two dropped from overhead in energetic and 

 deadly conflict — not ceasing under my capture and ob- 

 servation of them. These also were a Meg and a Mike. 

 The former, as before, was stronger, the latter more active 

 and ferocious. He had Meg by an antenna, but Meg 

 pulled him around, Mike keeping his abdomen so curled 

 as to prevent his antagonist's jaws from a fatal grip on his 

 slender waist. Mike had already lost half of one fore- 

 leg and all of a middle one. Meg was minus one entire 

 front leg and was lame in a leg of the next pair, but he 

 was biting vigorously, though in vain, at Mike's hard and 

 polished abdomen. At last Meg's feeler parts where the 

 other has hold and Mike clutches the tip of the remaining 

 feeler. This quickly gives way and he seizes the base, 

 while a small colorless drop exudes from the broken end. 

 Now this antenna parts at the base and, after having fought 

 twenty minutes under my eye and perhaps previously much 

 lono^er, they separate, the advantage being with Mike. 

 Though confined together, they did not care to fight 

 ao"ain. One died during the following night and the other 



