an Essay on the British Formicidcs. 277 



respect, " Go to the ant, thou sluggard, consider her ways, and 

 be wise ; which having no guide, overseer, or ruler, provideth her 

 meat in the summer and gathereth her food in the harvest ;" this 

 teaches us an invaluable lesson of prudence and forethought, 

 and the sluggard is directed accordingly to " consider her ways 

 and be wise." When, however, we glance at the habits of the 

 entire group, we shall presently perceive, that although a lesson 

 of prudence may be learnt from the ant, there is scarcely any 

 of the most atrocious and fearful crimes which may not be 

 inculcated when we investigate the habits of all the species ; 

 although numberless are the peaceful and industrious com- 

 munities which we survey, we see others whose sole occupation 

 appears to be to plunder the habitations of less warlike species, 

 nor is their sole object confined to plunder; the species of the 

 genus Eciton are the most savage and cruel of the tribe, they 

 enter the nests of species of Formica, and ruthlessly drag out the 

 peaceful inhabitants, after tearing them limb from limb, they carry 

 off the mangled remains to their own dwellings. The system of 

 slavery is the habit of numerous species, these plunder the nests 

 of other communities and carry off pupa and perfect insects. 

 Thus we see the necessity of considering the ways of those species 

 alone to which the words of Solomon evidently direct our atten- 

 tion, "Go to the ant, which provideth her meat in the summer, 

 and gathereth her food in the harvest." 



The species of the genus Formica, discovered in this country 

 since the publication of the Essay, are alone described here ; 

 whilst all those of Myrmiea are enumerated under the respective 

 subdivisions into which that group is now divided. 



Genus 1. Formica, Linn. 



Subdivision 1. — The anterior wings with the discoidal cells 

 obsolete ; the large workers frequently with the head greatly 

 enlarged ; the ocelli obsolete in the workers ; the petiole with 

 one node or scale, incrassate, wedge-shaped, or subglobose. 

 None of the species of this subdivision have been discovered in 

 this country. 



Subdivision 2. — The anterior wings with one discoidal cell ; the 

 large workers only distinguished by size, not by any remarkable 

 structural difference, the ocelli present in all the sexes, the scale 

 of the peduncle vertical and compressed. 



