ANIMAL KINGDOM. 109 



one-twelfth to about three-quarters of an inch ; some bite, others 



sting ; several have a very strong and unpleasant odour ; some 



raise their hillocks from under ground, others build in decayed, 



a few in the hollows of living trees, as, for instance, in the 



interior of the soft trumpet-tree, which they pierce in order to 



effect a lodging in its internodes ; others build a regular kind of 



mortared nest against the trunk or larger branches of trees, in 



a manner similar to the wasps or termites. Several of the kinds 



inhabiting houses deserve a few words of notice. Of these, the 



stinging black ants are met with almost everywhere ; they form 



their nests underground, or at the roots of plants, particularly of 



those upon which the " pucerons " feed ; they carry numbers of 



the latter to the plant, and build along the stems and twigs 



covered galleries, besides which they devour the bark of the 



roots or stem, so that the plant, both from the attacks of the 



" pucerons" and their own devastation, soon perishes. The black 



ants sting very severely, and, when disturbed, they rush out in 



numbers, and most fiercely. There are two species of the red 



stinging ant, one of which, called the sugar-ant, seems to be the 



smallest of all the kinds here ; they both sting, particularly the 



smaller one, and the burning and itching sensation they cause 



lasts more than half an hour. They are very fond of sweets and 



olive oil, so that it is always necessary to place those articles out 



of their reach. The black and red ants move slowly. The 



<e crazy ant" is black, and is about one-eighth of an inch in 



length ; it always seems to be in a hurry, moving very rapidly 



backwards, forwards, and sideways, as if it were mad ; hence its 



sobriquet. These ants are particularly fond of syrup and sugar; 



they are also carnivorous, and nothing is more amusing than to 



observe thousands of them carrying along large cockroaches, 



worms, or other dead irj sects. If they encounter a crawling 



worm, immediate notice is circulated among the tribe, and, in a 



short time, hundreds of them march to the attack ; their huge 



adversary rolls and contracts in self-defence, but, although tossed 



about, the ants hold fast, fresh recruits come to the rescue, and, 



after a struggle of more than half an hour, the giant is subdued , 



and carried to the nest, part of the host pulling forwards, and 



part raising up, so as to lighten the draft. Once arrived at the 



entrance to the nest, which is generally small, and cannot admit 



the booty, the ants cut their prey into small pieces, which they 



