THE ROBBER ANTS 179 



we'll call them Eyeless Robbers, or Robbers. These Rob- 

 bers live in the warm parts of America say from here to 

 Patagonia and attack various Harvesting ants all along 

 the line. The Driver ants in the warm parts of Asia and 

 Africa are much like these Ecitons, or Robbers, but, if 

 possible, worse. 



KENNETH. Then they are robbers, highwaymen, cut- 

 throats, murderers anything bad you want to call them. 



CECIL. The Robber is the savage of the insect world. 

 Often it has no fixed home; sometimes marches from place 

 to place like soldiers, and steals and eats the babies of ants 

 and other insects. But it will not touch those it finds 

 dead. 



ALBERT. Something ate the full-grown bodies of sixty 

 of our ants. 



CECIL. A colony has but one queen and no cocoons. 

 Often the families are small, but sometimes very large. 

 Each baby is carried under the body of an ant as the 

 colony moves from place to place. 



FLORENCE. I saw some small ants carrying some 

 babies that way today. Their backs were dragging on the 

 sidewalk. 



CECIL. As some kinds of Robbers can't stand the light, 

 such usually tunnel their roads as they go, but in our town 

 they travel overland. They hide their nests when they 

 have any and also their kings and queens. They will also 

 eat seeds. 



DOROTHY. What else? 



CECIL. There are many kinds of these ants. Though 

 eyeless, they move rapidly, lay many eggs, and have a bad 

 odor. Sometimes this ant makes a home of its own. The 

 kings and queens are queer looking insects. 



FLORENCE. How do they hide their kings and queens? 



