WARS OF ANTS. 189 
so many rays from a centre, and frequent- 
ed by an immense number of combat- 
ants, wars between hordes of the same 
species, for they are naturally enemies 
and jealous of the territory which bor- 
ders their own capital. It is in these 
forests, I have witnessed the inhabitants 
of two large ant-hills engaged in spirited 
combat. I cannot pretend to say what 
eccasioned discord between these re- 
publics. They were composed of ants 
of the same species, alike in their extent 
and population, and were situated about 
a hundred paces distance from each 
other. ‘Two empires could not possess a 
greater number of combatants. 
Let us figure to ourselves this pro- 
digious crowd of insects covering the 
ground lying between these two ant- 
hills, and occupying a space of two feet 
in breadth. Both armies met at half-way 
from their respective habitations, and 
there the battle commenced. Thousands 
of ants took their station upon the 
highest ground, and fought in pairs, 
