BATTLES OF THE BLACK ANTS. 69 



a filament drawn out so that his stomach was upon his 

 shoulders — where perhaps some of us ought to have it ! 

 For all this, the nut was very lively and did not appear to 

 suffer. Affain combatants will sometimes die in a few 

 minutes with no wound that a microscope can discover. 



It is possible that death is caused by the injection of 

 formic acid, saliva or some other natural secretion into the 

 wounds or mouth. It is admitted, I believe, that animal 

 products take on speciall^^ poisonous properties under the 

 influence of rage. 



It was astonishing to note the desperation of the en- 

 counters. Sometimes others interfere in these dual con- 

 flicts as in one case cited above, though this appears ex- 

 ceptional. When two ants grapple it means the death of 

 one or both. Many pairs were found locked in an em- 

 brace mutually fatal. Others are seen running around with 

 the dissevered head of an antagonist locked in its final 

 grip upon an antenna or leg. Such a warrior would not 

 loosen his hold though his enemy or some comrade should 

 succeed in his decapitation. The trophy may be "glo- 

 rious," but it is quite an incumbrance and the bearer tries 

 in vain to secure relief from his ornament. 



As to the cause of these battles, I can make no conclusive 

 suggestion. It is, of course, not to be supposed that the 

 insects of the formicary have discovered, as man has, that 

 by such sanguinary conflicts, great questions of ethics and 

 property rights may be settled with infallible exactness ! 

 There is said to be great diversity in the social economy 

 of different sptecies of Formica. With some kinds there 

 are battles between rival nests, but I could discover no 

 evidence of this in the cases mentioned. From the im- 

 possibility of finding the houses of these wood-borers, my 

 opinion may not be correct. But the slow accumulation 

 of the slain and the insignificance of the numbers at any 



