CARPENTER-ANTS. 249 



bination of their strength. But, though we gratified 

 our curiosity at their expense, the injury did not go un- 

 revenged; for thousands immediately threw themselves 

 upon us, and gave us intolerable pain with their stings, 

 especially those which took possession of our necks and 

 hair, from whence they were not easily driven. Their 

 sting was scarcely less painful than that of a bee ; but, 

 except it was repeated, the pain did not last more than a 

 minute. 



"Another sort are quite black, and their operation 

 and manner of life are not less extraordinary. Their 

 habitations are the inside of the branches of a tree, which 

 they contrive to excavate by working out the pith almost 

 to the extremity of the slenderest twig, the tree at the 

 same time flourishing as if it had no such inmate. When 

 we first found the tree we gathered some of the branches ; 

 and were scarcely less astonished than we should have 

 been to find that we had profaned a consecrated grove, 

 where every tree, upon being wounded, gave signs of life ; 

 for we were instantly covered with legions of these animals, 

 swarming from every broken bough, and inflicting their 

 stings with incessant violence. 



" A third kind we found nested in the root of a plant, 

 which grows on the bark of trees in the manner of 

 mistletoe, and which they had perforated for that use. 

 This root is commonly as big as a large turnijD, and 

 sometimes much bigger. When we cut it we found it 

 intersected by innumerable winding passages, all filled 

 with these animals, by which, however, the vegetation 

 of the plant did not appear to have suffered any injury. 

 We never cut one of these roots that was not inhabited, 

 though some were not bigger than a hazel-nut. The 

 animals themselves are very small, not more than half as 

 big as the common red ant in England. They had stings, 

 but scarcely force enough to make them felt : they had, 

 however, a power of tormenting us in an equal, if not in 

 a greater degree ; for the moment we handled the root, 

 they swarmed from innumerable holes, and running about 

 those parts of the body that were uncovered, produced a 



