XXil PREFACE 
I was, however, far from expecting 
those extraordinary facts that presented 
themselvesin the course of my researches; 
among them those of the Ants with 
their pucerons, which I have already pub- 
lished, and to which I have made several 
additions. But there are facts still more 
singular connected with the Ants of dif- 
ferent species. The history of the Ama- 
zon Ants presents a phenomenon so op- 
posed to what the manners of insects and 
other animals have hitherto offered us, 
and recals so prominent a feature in the 
history of man, that I have given up a 
great portion of my time to its elucida- 
tion, and have considered it my duty to 
devote several chapters to it, with the 
view of making it known in all its detail, 
and of putting the reader in the way of 
judging or verifying the truth of my 
assertions. 
I conclude the work by some general 
considerations which my observations 
have suggested to me, and by comparing 
the habits of Ants with those of other in- 
sects that live in a republic. 
