﻿242 
  Mr. 
  A. 
  R. 
  Wallace 
  on 
  the 
  Insects 
  used 
  for 
  Food 
  

  

  Annelida 
  — 
  each 
  supply 
  one 
  species 
  to 
  add 
  to 
  the 
  varieties 
  of 
  the 
  

   Indian's 
  bill 
  of 
  fare. 
  

  

  The 
  first 
  is 
  a 
  great-headed 
  red 
  ant, 
  the 
  (Ecodoma 
  cephaloles 
  of 
  

   Latreille. 
  This 
  insect 
  inhabits 
  the 
  whole 
  Amazon 
  district, 
  and, 
  1 
  

   believe, 
  a 
  great 
  part 
  of 
  Brazil 
  and 
  Guiana, 
  and 
  is 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  most 
  

   destructive 
  of 
  the 
  whole 
  family. 
  It 
  frequents 
  sandy 
  districts 
  and 
  

   places 
  where 
  " 
  red 
  earth" 
  is 
  found, 
  but 
  is 
  absent 
  from 
  the 
  " 
  black 
  

   earth" 
  or 
  the 
  rich 
  alluvial 
  soil 
  of 
  the 
  Amazon. 
  It 
  forms 
  its 
  nests 
  

   in 
  the 
  woods 
  and 
  in 
  gardens, 
  turning 
  up 
  the 
  soil 
  in 
  such 
  large 
  

   heaps 
  as 
  to 
  make 
  one 
  doubt 
  whether 
  so 
  small 
  an 
  insect 
  could 
  have 
  

   been 
  the 
  workman. 
  I 
  have 
  seen 
  elevations 
  of 
  this 
  kind 
  twenty 
  

   feet 
  square 
  and 
  a 
  yard 
  high, 
  containing 
  many 
  tons 
  of 
  earth. 
  These 
  

   hillocks 
  are 
  riddled 
  with 
  holes 
  in 
  every 
  direction, 
  and 
  into 
  them 
  

   the 
  ants 
  may 
  be 
  seen 
  dragging 
  little 
  circular 
  pieces 
  of 
  leaf, 
  which 
  

   they 
  cut 
  off 
  from 
  particular 
  trees 
  which 
  they 
  prefer 
  ; 
  orange 
  trees 
  

   and 
  leguminous 
  shrubs 
  suffer 
  most 
  from 
  their 
  ravages, 
  and 
  these 
  

   they 
  will 
  sometimes 
  entirely 
  strip 
  of 
  their 
  leaves 
  in 
  a 
  night 
  or 
  two. 
  

   Young 
  plants 
  too 
  of 
  every 
  kind 
  suffer 
  very 
  much, 
  and 
  cannot 
  be 
  

   grown 
  in 
  many 
  places 
  on 
  account 
  of 
  them. 
  They 
  remain 
  in 
  one 
  

   locality 
  a 
  long 
  time 
  ; 
  for 
  on 
  my 
  observing 
  to 
  a 
  gentleman 
  at 
  a 
  

   cattle 
  estate 
  near 
  Para 
  how 
  remarkably 
  the 
  track 
  of 
  these 
  ants 
  was 
  

   worn 
  down 
  across 
  a 
  pathway 
  and 
  through 
  grass, 
  he 
  informed 
  me 
  

   that 
  he 
  had 
  observed 
  them 
  marching 
  along 
  that 
  very 
  track 
  for 
  

   fifteen 
  or 
  twenty 
  years. 
  The 
  insects 
  which 
  do 
  this 
  are 
  of 
  course 
  

   the 
  neuters, 
  which 
  have 
  tremendous 
  jaws. 
  They 
  often 
  swarm 
  

   in 
  houses 
  at 
  night, 
  crawling 
  over 
  the 
  supper 
  table 
  and 
  carrying 
  

   away 
  fragments 
  of 
  bread 
  and 
  farina 
  ; 
  and 
  should 
  any 
  cloth 
  or 
  

   handkerchief 
  be 
  left 
  on 
  the 
  ground, 
  especially 
  with 
  anything 
  eat- 
  

   able 
  in 
  it, 
  it 
  will 
  be 
  found 
  in 
  the 
  morning 
  cut 
  in 
  semicircular 
  holes 
  

   in 
  every 
  direction 
  as 
  neatly 
  as 
  if 
  done 
  with 
  scissors. 
  It 
  is 
  the 
  

   female 
  of 
  this 
  destructive 
  creature 
  that 
  furnishes 
  the 
  Indian 
  with 
  

   a 
  luxurious 
  repast. 
  At 
  a 
  certain 
  season 
  the 
  insects 
  come 
  out 
  of 
  

   their 
  holes 
  in 
  such 
  numbers, 
  that 
  they 
  are 
  caught 
  by 
  basketsfuU. 
  

   ^Vhen 
  this 
  takes 
  place 
  in 
  the 
  neiglibourhood 
  of 
  an 
  Indian 
  village 
  

   all 
  is 
  stir 
  and 
  excitement 
  ; 
  the 
  young 
  men, 
  women 
  and 
  children 
  

   go 
  out 
  to 
  catch 
  saiibas 
  witli 
  baskets 
  and 
  calabashes, 
  which 
  they 
  

   soon 
  fill 
  ; 
  for 
  though 
  the 
  female 
  ants 
  have 
  wings, 
  they 
  are 
  very 
  

   sluggish 
  and 
  seldom 
  or 
  never 
  fly. 
  The 
  part 
  eaten 
  is 
  the 
  abdomen, 
  

   which 
  is 
  very 
  rich 
  and 
  fatty 
  from 
  the 
  mass 
  of 
  undeveloped 
  eggs. 
  

   They 
  are 
  eaten 
  alive; 
  the 
  insect 
  being 
  held 
  by 
  the 
  head 
  as 
  we 
  hold 
  

   a 
  strawberry 
  by 
  its 
  stalk, 
  and 
  the 
  abdomen 
  being 
  bitten 
  off, 
  the 
  

   body, 
  wings 
  and 
  legs 
  are 
  thrown 
  down 
  on 
  the 
  floor, 
  where 
  they 
  

   continue 
  to 
  crawl 
  along 
  apparently 
  unaware 
  of 
  the 
  loss 
  of 
  their 
  

  

  