k 



SLAVE MAKING ANTS. 163 



begging the slaves for food, or cleaning themselves 

 and burnishing their ruddy armour, but when out- 

 side the nest on one of their predatory expeditions, 

 they display a dazzling courage and capacity for 

 concerted action compared with which the raids of 

 Sanguinea (a group of slave making ants which can 

 yet obtain their own food) resemble the clumsy 

 efforts of a lot of untrained militia." 



The slavery of ants is thus described by Com- 

 stock : "There are several species of ants which are 



I slave holders, and by a strange coincidence the 

 slaves are dark coloured, while the masters are light. 

 When a depredating army sets forth, it proceeds to 

 the black colony which defends itself fiercely ; if the 

 besieged blacks are overcome the conquerors carry 

 off all the larvae and pupae to their own nests and 

 bring them up with their own, and they in turn 

 work hard for their captors, and take a great interest 

 in their welfare and success. When a party of 

 marauders comes back without any booty their 



! slaves give them a cold reception, but if they come 

 back laden with plenty of larvae and pupae, the 

 slaves rush out and meet them with apparent delight 

 and exultation. 



Some species work side by side with their slaves 

 However in one species (Polyergus riifescens, of 

 Europe) the masters have depended on their slaves 

 so long that they cannot build their own nests, or 

 feed or care for their young, but have only retained 

 the poAver of fighting to get more slaves. Huber 

 tells of placing several of these slave holders by 

 themselves where nearly all helplessly starved, al- 



