of new Indian Ants. 105 



The magnitude of these ants, their voracity, and remarkable tact 

 in discovering saccharine matters, render them repulsive, trouble- 

 some, and costly insects in a house. I have had the greater part of 

 a tub of sugar-candy, left in my store-room at Poona, and Vi^eighing 

 nearly half a hundred weight, consumed by them during a few months' 

 absence from home ; and my friends have related to me instances of 

 similar depredations carried to the extent of the consumption of a 

 whole tub of sugar-candy. However incredible the fact may appear, 

 I will not omit to notice an instance of their instinct literally border- 

 ing upon human intelligence. It was the practice in my family to 

 leave the dessert, consisting of fruit, cakes, and particularly China 

 preserved fruits, constantly standing upon a sideboard in an inclosed 

 verandah off the dining-hall : a cloth was thrown over it, and to 

 prevent the access of insects, the legs of the table were placed upon 

 low pedestals in little stone pans filled with water. When I first 

 took possession of the house, the inhabited part was not infested 

 with this species of ant, but the attractions of the sideboard soon 

 occasioned their introduction. The channel of water surrounding 

 the pedestals did not prove a sufiicient barrier ; the pans were shal- 

 low, and the channel not wider than two lengths of medium sized 

 ants : when the water was low they waded across, and when the 

 pans were full they boldly pushed over, and succeeded in catching 

 hold of the opposite bank with their fore-legs ere they sunk, and 

 once over, they soon reached their rich repast by the legs of the 

 table, and in the morning I found hundreds congregated on the 

 China sweets : they were put to death, but each succeeding day 

 presented similar hordes of equally bold and successful adventurers. 

 I now had the legs of the table surrounded daily with a belt of tur- 

 pentine, just above the level of the water, and this proved effectual, 

 either from its nauseous and deleterious scent, or from its clammi- 

 ness holding them by the feet. For some days the sweets were un- 

 molested, but eventually the ants found their way back to them, 

 although not in such numbers as before, and I did not readily dis- 

 cover by what means. The edge of the table was about an inch 

 distant from the wall, and with greater facilities of access, they did 

 not risk the danger of passing the gulf between the table and the 

 wall, but reduced to extremities by my precautions, the largest ants 

 now essayed to pass it, holding on the wall by the hind legs, whilst 

 the front legs were stretched out to touch the edge of the table, and 

 the contact enabled very many to cross. The table was now re- 

 moved from the wall beyond the maximum stretch of the largest 

 ants, and I flattered myself I had triumphed over their perseverance 

 and ingenuity ; but, to my infinite surprise, in a few days the sweets 



