146 RELATION BETWEEN ANTS. 
must extend our observation to the indi- 
viduals of the largest species: the Her- 
culean Ants, who inhabit hollow trees and 
who quit them only in the spring, to ac- 
company the males and females, have 
very much assisted me in this object. 
The labourers are from five to six lines 
in length; the winged individuals are 
also proportionably large: they may be 
frequently seen running about the trunk 
of an oak, at the entrance of their laby- 
rinths. When I disturbed those ants that 
were at the greatest distance from their 
companions, by either observing them too 
closely, or blowing upon them lightly, I 
saw them run towards the other ants, 
vive them gentle blows with their heads 
against the corslet, communicating to 
them, in this way, their fear or anger, 
passing rapidly from one to the other in 
a semicircular direction, and striking 
several times successively against those 
who did not put themselves in instant 
motion. These, warned’of the common 
danger, set off immediately, describing 
