326 . PERFECT SOCIETIES OF INSECTS. 



■vars are usually between nests of different species ; sometimes, however, 

 those of the same, when so near as to interfere with and incommode each 

 other, have their battles ; and with respect to ants of one species, Myrmica 

 rubra, combats occasionally take ])lace, contrary to the general habits of 

 the tribe of ants, between those of the same nest. I shall give you some 

 account of all these conflicts, beginning with the last. But I must first 

 observe, that the only warriors amongst our ants are the neuters or 

 workers ; the males and females being very peaceable creatures, and always 

 glad to get out of harm's way. 



The wars of the red ant ( M. rubra') are usually between a small number 

 of the citizens; and the object, according to Gould, is to get rid of a use- 

 less member of the connnunity (it does not argue much in favour of the 

 humanity of this species if it be by sickness that this member is disabled), 

 rather tiian any real civil contest. " The red colonies," says this author, 

 " are the only ones I could ever observe to feed upon their own species. 

 You may frequently discern a party of from five or six to twenty sur- 

 rounding one of their own kind, or even fraternity, and pulling it to pieces. 

 The ant they attack is generally feeble, and of a languid complexion, occa- 

 sioned, perhaps, by some disorder or other accident."^ I once saw one of 

 these ants dragged out of the nest by another, without its head ; it was 

 still alive, and could crawl about. A lively imagination might have fancied 

 that this poor ant was a criminal, condemned b}' a court of justice to suffer 

 the extreme sentence of the law. It was more probably, however, a 

 champion that had been decapitated in an unequal combat ; unless we ad- 

 mit Gould's idea, and suppose it to have suffered because it was an un- 

 profitable member of the community.'^ At another time I found three 

 individuals that were fighting with great fury, chained together by their 

 mandibles ; one of these had lost two of the legs of one side, yet it appeared 

 to walk well, and was as eager to attack and seize its opponents as if it was 

 unhurt. This did not look like languor or sickness. 



The wars of ants that are not of the same species take place usually 

 between those that differ in size ; and the great endeavouring to oppress 

 the small are nevertheless often outnumbered by them, and defeated. 

 Their battles have long been celebrated ; and the date of them, as if it were 

 an event of the first importance, has been formally recorded, .^neas 

 Sylvius, after giving a very circumstantial account of one contested with 

 .great obstinacy by a great and small species on the trunk of a pear tree, 

 gravely states, "This action was fought in the pontificate of Eugenius IV., 

 in the presence of Nicholas Pistoriensis, an eminent lawyer, who related 

 the whole history of the battle with the greatest fidelity ! " A similar 

 engagement between great and small ants is recorded by Olaus Magims, 

 in which the small ones being victorious are said to have buried the iiodies 

 of their own soldiers, but left those of their giant enemies a prey to the 

 birds. This event happened previous to the expulsion of the tyrant 

 Christiern II. from Sweden.^ 



1 Gould, 104. 



2 One would think the writer of the account of ants in MoufFet had been witness 

 to something similar. "If they see anyone idle," says he, "they not only drive 

 him as spurious, without food, from the nest ; but likewise, a circle of all ranks 

 being assembled, cut off his head before the gates, that he may be a warning to 

 their cliildreu not to give themselves up for the future to idleness and effeminacy." 

 —Theatr. Ins. 241. 3 Ibid. 242. 



