A NICE LITTLE HOUSEKEEPER. IO5 



PART 2. 



Jenny. So you do fight sometimes. 



Ant. Yes, indeed ; we have sharp battles, and often 

 leave half our number dead upon the field. These 

 combats sometimes take place between different races, 

 and sometimes between two colonies of the same 

 race. At such times you may see thousands of ants 

 biting, struggling, wrestling, and overturning each 

 other in the dust, till night puts an end to the combat. 



Jenny. But what do they fight for? 



Ant. Sometimes for one thing, sometimes for an- 

 other. Perhaps two parties have seized the same spi- 

 der or earth-worm, or the ants of one hill trespass upon 

 the pastures and seize the cows of another. But there 

 are ants who go out to war for the express purpose of 

 making prisoners, which they carry home to their nest. 



Jenny. What do they do with them ? Not eat them, 

 I hope. 



Ant. O, no not quite so bad as that. But these 

 prisoner ants do all the work of the nest afterwards. 

 The red ants, who are the fighters, start on these plun- 

 dering expeditions between two and five of the after- 

 noon of a fine day, first sending out ants to explore 

 about the hill they intend to attack. Upon the return 

 of these scouts, they set out,and having reached the col- 

 ony, they attack it with great fury. The dark-colored 

 ants, which they attack, defend themselves with great 

 bravery, but in vain. The red assailants are the strong- 

 est, and in a few minutes they may be seen coming 

 out, each with a young ant or an egg in her mouth, 



