WARS OF ANTS. 339 



bats, that assistance is ever rendered to an individual 

 by its fellow colonists, for the numerous combats 

 which we have witnessed have been exclusively 

 duels, and though many of these duels were con- 

 tested within a few inches of each other, no com- 

 batants ever interfered with the antagonist of ano- 

 ther*. The larger species appear to stand most in 

 need of assistance, for when a small ant fixes upon 

 their legs or antennse it never lets go its hold, and 

 may often, even after it is dead or half of its body 

 bitten off, be seen remaining immoveable, sub- 

 jecting the individual it has thus fixed upon to no 

 little inconvenience. Ruber's observations, how- 

 ever, do not relate to the same species as ours. 



One of the battles which he witnessed was be- 

 tween a colony of the Herculean ant {Formica Her- 

 culaiiea), which is nearly half an inch long, and has 

 not been found in Britain, and the sanguine ant 

 (F. sanguinta), only half the size, and rare in 

 Britain, though Mr. Stephens has taken it near 

 London. "These Herculean ants," says Huber, 

 " quitted the trunk of the tree in which they had 

 established their abode, and marched up to the very 

 gates of the nest of the sanguine ants. The latter 

 had the advantage in point of number; yet they 

 acted on the defensive. The earth, strewed with the 

 dead bodies of their companions, bore witness that 

 they had suffered the greatest carnage, and it was 

 no doubt on this account that they had taken the 

 prudent part of fixing their habitation elsewhere, 

 and with great activity transported to a distance of fifty 

 feet from the spot, the several objects that interested 

 them. Small detachments of the workers were posted 

 at little distances from the nest, apparently placed 

 there to cover the march of the recruits, and to pre- 

 serve the city itself from any sudden attack. They 



* J.K. 



2g 2 



