288 BRITISH ANTS. 



desolating their home, they hurried into the fern, and so endeavoured 

 to ward off from themselves and infant progeny the threatening 

 danger. I opened a portion of the nest, and found a nursery 

 crowded with pupae some depth below the surface of the nest ; 

 only one or two workers of fusca were left. The rest had evidently 

 escaped with as many of the pupae as they could manage to take 

 charge of and save. I noticed several wandering over the desolated 

 nest with pupae and larvae in their mandibles. I watched a fusca 

 carrying off a pupa from behind the entrance whence the sanguineae 

 were issuing forth. Immediately it saw one of the enemy ap- 

 proaching, it dropped its charge and left it to its fate. The san- 

 guinea then gave it a push, and drove it off in double quick time. 

 I then saw another fusca wandering over the nest, and trying to 

 escape, as it were, by the back door, with a larva in its mandibles, 

 but it was seen and overtaken by a small worker of sanguinea, who 

 seized the baby from its perturbed and luckless foster-mother, and 

 bore it off in triumph. I noticed a sanguinea coming up out of the 

 nest with a pupa ; and a fusca observing it, went up a fern-frond 

 with the utmost expedition. My sister then observed a tussle 

 between a fusca and a sanguinea. The fusca tried to force an 

 entrance into its pillaged home ; but meeting with an antagonist, 

 thought discretion the better part of valour, and turned tail with 

 all speed. These observations were made in the afternoon from 

 2.30 to 4.20. I now noticed a sanguinea take off a pupa from the 

 same entrance into which the fusca vainly endeavoured to force its 

 way ; and I noticed, further, another pupa within the same entrance ; 

 hence was explained the persistence and anxiety of the fusca. It 

 had most likely concealed these pupae in the hope that they would 

 be saved from the general wreck. A sanguinea had evidently found 

 these out, and the fusca was endeavouring to rescue them from 

 their inevitable fate. Several fuscae were wandering over the 

 disturbed nest. One took off a pupa and fled with it in a direction 

 contrary to that taken by the marauders ; at the same time I 

 watched a sanguinea frighten off a fusca. Another fusca met a 

 sanguinea on the nest, and ran away precipitately. Another fusca 

 then appeared wandering over the nest with a pupa locked in its 

 embrace, knowing not which way to turn for succour and safety. 

 One thing was patent from our observations that between the 

 fuscae and the sanguineae there was a well-defined and clearly pro- 

 nounced antagonism. In presence of the sanguineae the fuscae were 

 terror-stricken. In fact, the depredators had it all their, own way, 

 and were able in this instance, at least, to carry out their marvellous 

 instincts without destroying a single life." 40 



On July 20th, 1908, I had the good fortune to witness a slave- 

 raid, which was taking place early in the afternoon at Bewdley, 

 and which I recorded as follows : 



" I found the ants belonging to a nest situated on a high em- 



