284 BRITISH ANTS. 



embankment, and by the sides of the roads, etc., in different parts 

 of the Forest. 



Formica sanguinea finds its way more by the sense of sight 

 . than that of smell. 



/^When attacking other ants the slave-makers advance in small 

 / troops, sending out advance guards or couriers to spy out the 

 movements of the enemy and ascertain where they are weakest ; 

 these couriers often fajl to the rear their places being taken by 

 others and call up reinforcements. They fight with great im- 

 petuosity, their object being to stampede the enemy, and they also 

 send troops to attack in the rear. They appear to know at once 

 when these manoeuvres have thrown their opponents into a panic, 

 but should they meet with too strong a resistance they instantly 

 I retire. 



F. sanguinea will not attack a large ant, such as rufa, directly in 

 front, but endeavours to take it by surprise from the side ; when 

 attacking smaller ants, however, these are usually seized at once, 

 and quickly dragged backwards tightly grasped to prevent the 

 smaller ant from fixing on to the legs or antennae of its captor. 



F. sanguinea understands well how to resist a siege by a numerous 

 enemy ; blocking up the entrances to its nest, removing the brood, 

 etc., to safer quarters, and if necessary escaping from the opposite 

 exits of the dwelling. 



Ants of this species sometimes play together, pretending to fight. 

 Individual ants live for a number of years ; Lord Avebury kept 

 some workers (sent to him by Forel), which lived for five years 29 ; 

 Wasmann tells me that a queen lived in one of his observation 

 nests for thirteen years, and another in the same nest was eleven 

 years old when she died ; and I had ants which lived for four 

 years, and then only died when the nest was allowed to get too 

 dry, the whole colony unfortunately perishing. 



The most interesting fact connected with the life-history of 

 sanguinea is its habit of making slaves. This was first discovered 

 and the meaning of these mixed colonies pointed out by Huber, 

 who graphicly describes the slave-raids witnessed by him. After 

 having found Ash-coloured ants mingled with the Sanguine ants, 

 he was led to suspect that the former were procured by the latter 

 much in the same way as by the Legionaries (Polyergus), and he 

 watched their movements from day to day and at length witnessed 

 several of their expeditions. He writes " The following will 

 convey a just idea of their tactics. On the 15th July, at ten in the 

 morning, a small division of the Sanguine Ants was dispatched from 

 the garrison, and arrived in quick march, near a nest of Negro Ants, 

 situated twenty paces distant, around which they took their station. 

 The inhabitants, on perceiving these strangers, rushed forth in a 

 body to attack them, and led back several prisoners. The Sanguine 

 Ants made no further advance ; they appeared to be waiting some 



