46 Chapter II. 



ant species which undertake slave hunting expeditions, 

 to kill the hostile ants only when resistance is offered. 

 Fleeing F. fusca or rufibarbis are pursued merely to 

 obtain the larvae and pupae which they are carrying 

 off; booty, not slaughter is the object of the victors. 

 If apes or other higher animals were to act similarly 

 in their wars, then our modern advocates of evolution 

 would not fail to make the following reflections : 

 ''Here we find the first traces of genuine humanity, 

 which shrinks from unnecessary bloodshed; what 

 these animals consciously aim at is, not to fight, but 

 to gather the fruits of victory," etc. In ants such 

 reflections are readily granted to be ridiculous human- 

 izations of the brute ; but never would it be conceded 

 in the case of apes, not because the psychic manifesta- 

 tions are really different, but rather to safeguard the 

 evolutionistic theories. 



The military skill of the Amazons (Polyergus} is 

 no doubt unexcelled amongst ants, but also amongst 

 other animals. It is even far superior to the military 

 tactics of the sanguine slavemaking ants, although the 

 latter manifest in their whole character a more perfect 

 development of what is called "individual intelligence," 

 i. e., the suitable application of their sensitive experi- 

 ences. But the Amazons in private life are the dullest 

 and most awkward "instinct beings" you can imagine. 

 Although they are able to take liquid food by licking 

 just as other ants, they have nevertheless almost totally 

 lost the instinct of feeding themselves, and would 

 starve, unless they be fed from the mouth of their 

 slaves. This fact makes it quite evident, that even in 

 the grandest military exploits of the Amazons there 



