SLAVE ANTS. 51 



to the nest and report their success. Shortly afterwards 

 the army of red ants marches forth, headed by a van- 

 guard, which is perpetually changing; the individuals 

 which constitute it, when they have advanced a little before 

 the main body, halting, falling into the rear, and being re- 

 placed by others : this vanguard consists of eight or ten 

 ants only. When they have arrived near the negro colony, 

 they disperse, wandering through the herbage and hunting 

 about, as if aware of the propinquity of the object of their 

 search, yet ignorant of its exact position. At last they 

 discover the settlement, and the foremost of the invaders 

 rushing impetuously to the attack, are met, grappled with, 

 and frequently killed by the negroes on guard : the alarm 

 is quickly communicated to the interior of the nest; the 

 negroes sally forth by thousands, and the red ants rushing 

 to the rescue, a desperate conflict ensues, which, however, 

 always terminates in the defeat of the negroes, who retire 

 to the innermost recesses of their habitation. Now follows 

 the scene of pillage ; the red ants with their powerful man- 

 dibles tear open the sides of the negro ant-hill, and rush 

 into the heart of the citadel. In a few minutes each of 

 the invaders emerges, carrying in its mouth the pupa of a 

 worker negro, which it has obtained in spite of the vigi- 

 lance and valour of its natural guardians. The red ants 

 return in perfect order to their nest, bearing with them 

 their living burdens. On reaching the nest the pupae ap- 

 pear to be treated precisely as their own, and the workers 

 when they emerge perform the various duties of the com- 

 munity with the greatest energy and apparent good will ; 

 they repair the nest, excavate passages, collect food, feed 

 the larvas, take the pupas into the sun-shine, and perform 

 every office which the welfare of the colony seems to 

 require ; in fact, they conduct themselves entirely as if 

 fulfilling their original destination. 



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