PERFECT SOCIETIES OF INSECTS. 69 



—their droves of Aphides equally valuable with the flocks 

 and herds that cover our plains ; and the body of a fly 

 or a beetle, or a cargo of straws and bits of stick, an ac- 

 quisition as important as the treasures of a Lima fleet 

 to our seamen. Their wars 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 

 place, 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 r must first observe, that the only warriors amongst 

 our ants are the neuters or workers ; the males and fe- 

 males being very peaceable creatures, and always glad 

 to get out of harm's way. 



The wars of the red ant {M. rubra) are usually be- 

 tween a small number of the citizens ; and the object, 

 according to Gould, is to get rid of a useless member of 

 the community (it does not argue much in favour of the 

 humanity of this species if it be by sickness that this 

 member is disabled), rather than any real civil contest. 

 " The red colonies," says this author, " are the only 

 ones I could ever observe to feed upon their own spe- 

 cies. You may frequently discern a party of from five 

 or six to twenty surrounding 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, 

 occasioned perhaps by some disorder or other accident '." 

 I once saw one of these ants dragged out of the nest by 



" Gould, 101. 



