THE ANTS 2995 



curious is the South- American saiiba or parasol ant (CEcodoma cephalotes}, dreaded 

 on account of the havoc it works among the foliage of plantations. Agriculture, 

 too, becomes next to impossible where these destructive insects abound. They are 

 not without their uses, however, for the Indians regard the females when full of 

 eggs as a delicacy. Seizing the insects by the thorax, they nip off the luscious 

 morsel with their teeth, much as we may see monkeys behave toward a fly. The 

 nests of this species are prodigious. Bates speaks of hills forty yards in circumfer- 

 ence, or about twelve yards across, while others are of even larger size. This hill, 

 huge as it is, is merely the outer covering of a network of galleries extending deep 

 and far into the ground, with many outlets into the surrounding country, usually 

 carefully secured. The workers, of which there are two forms, look after the 

 progeny and gather food; while the soldiers, with broad heads and terrible jaws, 

 sally forth if danger threatens their citadel. The stronger workers march in daily 

 procession to the plantations in search of leaves, and return, each with a piece 

 securely held in its jaws. The more slightly built remain at home, engaged in the 

 less arduous operations of domestic economy, and rarely venture far from their nest. 

 These leaf-cutting expeditions are directed chiefly against coffee and orange 

 plantations, and the ants, accompanied by a detachment of soldiers, partly no doubt 

 to keep order, and more especially to guard the caravan against freebooters, march 

 in large columns to the groves, climb the trees, and begin to reap their daily har- 

 vest. Each ant having cut with its toothed mandibles a piece of leaf half an inch in 

 diameter, descends the tree, holds its booty high in the air, edge upward, and 

 so homeward. The leaf discs thus held above their heads have earned for these 

 insects the name of " parasol ants." The path they travel on is soon beaten down 

 with footsteps, and worn till it becomes a deep groove; but even height does 

 not end their activity and mischief, for they make raids on the houses of the 

 planters in search of groceries and sweet stuffs, appearing often in swarms. There 

 are several species of this genus with similar habits, and all are known by the 

 natives of Brazil under the single name saiiba. An illustration of one of the 

 leaf-cutting expeditions returning homeward is given in the illustration on p. 

 2993- 



Family MUTILLID^E, etc. 



This species included in the families Mutillidce, Thynnidce, and Scolidcz, num- 

 ber from twelve hundred to fifteen hundred. The females of members of the first 

 two are wingless, while those of all three families possess a formidable poison sting. 

 Of the European Mutilla europcea, the males may be seen, though not commonly, 

 among flowers, and frequenting foliage infested with aphides. The wingless female 

 may, however, often be met with on sandy commons in summer. The larvae are 

 found in the nests of humblebees, where they feed upon the grubs. All species of 

 the family, however, are not parasitic on humblebees, for in South America, where 

 the tribes of the former are scantily represented, those of the latter are numerous. 

 Of the third family, we take as example the formidable Scolia nemorrhoidalis, which 



