WINGED ANTS. 95 



holes might be counted by hundreds but strange 

 to say, the birds were absent. 



While I was wondering at the immense cloud 

 of ants, I discovered some funny little reptiles, 

 Breviceps Mossambicus, seated by many of the 

 holes, steadily engaged in eating the larvae or 

 workers who were forced up out of the holes 

 by the constant stream of the perfect winged 

 insects. They were something like toads, but I 

 was surprised to find that they did not hop 

 away when disturbed, but ran rather slowly on 

 very short legs. They had very small mouths, 

 and kept putting out their tongues and licking 

 up the larvae with the greatest relish, their 

 countenances expressing the most placid con- 

 tentment. Sometimes one got too many ants 

 on his tongue, and then he would go through 

 the most frightful contortions puffing and swell- 

 ing himself in a manner most amusing to behold. 

 Very often one would leave off eating to scratch 

 his head with his front paw in a most serious 

 way, but every action was so comical that I 

 could have watched them for hours. 



