100 PERTECr SOCIETIES OF INSECTS. 



longicolUs, Latr., to one of the legs of which a small 

 ant, scarcely a thirtieth part of its bulk, is fixed by its 

 jaws. It had probably the audacity to attack this giant, 

 compared with itself, and obstinately refusing to let 

 go its hold was starved to death. Professor Afzelius 

 once related to me some particulars with respect to a 

 species of ant in Sierra Leone, which proves the same 

 point. He says that they march in columns that ex- 

 ceed all powers of numeration, and always pursue a 

 straight course, from vi'hich nothing can cause them to 

 deviate: if they come to a house or other building, 

 they storm or undermine it ; if a river comes across 

 them, though millions perish in the attempt, they en- 

 deavour to swim over it. 



This quality of perseverance in ants on one occa- 

 sion led to very important results, which affected a large 

 portion of this habitable globe : for the celebrated con- 

 queror Timour, being once forced to take shelter from 

 his enemies in a ruined building, w here he sat alone 

 many hours, desirous of diverting his mind from his 

 hopeless condition, he fixed his observation upon an 

 ant that was carrying a grain of corn (probably a pupa*) 

 larger than itself up a high wall. Numbering the ef- 

 forts that it made to accomplish this object, he found 

 that the grain fell sixty-nine times to the ground, but 

 the seventieth time it reached the top of the wall. 

 *' This sight (said Timour) gave me courage at the 

 moment ; and I have never forgotten the lesson it con- 

 veyed*." 



Madame Merian, in her Surinam Insects, speaking 

 of the large-headed ant {Formica megacephala^ L.), 



' Helated in the Quarterly Reviete for Angirst IS 16, p. 259, 



