HYMENOPTERA — FORMICIDE. 931 
which a colony of ants and of white ants were established in the same 
abode; but that, on disturbing the nest, the ants attacked the workers 
of the white ants, which they perhaps considered as the authors of 
the mischief. General Hardwicke, however, expressly mentions that 
the ants in India are formidable enemies to the white ants, each ant 
seizing and carrying off its victim whenever opportunity occurs for so 
doing. ( Zool. Journ. No. xiii. p. 114.) On the other hand, however, 
their ravages upon the vegetable productions of those countries are far 
more to be dreaded; as in the instance of the attacks of Formica 
saccharivora Zinn. upon the sugar canes in the island of Grenada, 
whereby the cultivation of that plant was entirely put a stop to, and a 
reward of 20,0007. offered for an effectual mode of destroying the ants. 
(Castle, in Phil. Trans. vol. xxx. p.346., quoted by Kirby and Spence, 
vol. i. p. 186.) See also Guilding (in Mag. Nat. Hist. No. 27.), on 
the ants of the West Indies; and an article in the A/ntomol. Mag. 
(vol. iv. p. 108.), of the “ plague of ants” in New Spain, from Herrera’s 
Decades ; likewise an article on the same subject in the London 
Magazine, October, 1827. 
The Jesuit Dobrizhoffer, in his work (De _Abiponibus, vol. ii. p. 375., 
quoted by Perty, Delect. An. Art. Bras. pref. p.23., and translated 
in Nat. Hist. Ins. Fam. Library, vol.i. p. 37.), has given a detailed 
account of the astonishing devastations of the ants in Paraguay. The 
conical earthen nests of one of the species, which abounds in the plains 
of that country, are three or more ells high, and as hard as stone; 
and he adds, “ Tumulos illos pyramidales prius solerter cavatos His- 
pani pro furno ad coquendum panem adhibent aliquando; nonnun- 
quam eos commolunt ac in pulveres redigunt, qui rite aqua subacti ad 
parimentandas domos egregie valent.” We cannot, unfortunately, 
determine the species in question. The Portuguese have an old say- 
ing, that the ants are the queens of Brazil, in order to indicate their 
universal powers of destruction. Pohl and Kollar also mention various 
obnoxious Brazilian species, especially Atta cephalotes; the female of 
which is, however, eaten by the natives. ( Vorzugl. Hist. Ins. Bras.) 
Dobrizhoffer also mentions the same fact, as well as Azara (p. 198.), 
and also Barrére. (Ess. Hist. Nat. France Aiquin. p.197.) Lander 
also informs us that ants, stewed in butter, are eaten by the natives 
of Yariba, in Africa. (Journ. Second Exped. into Interior of Africa, 
1829.) Drury also mentions the same fact. In our own country, 
an exceedingly minute species (Myrmica domestica Shk.) has re- 
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