WITH ARMY ANTS 235 



ity, and by means of the single pair of legs the 

 head rowed itself rapidly along, its antennae twid- 

 dling vigorously those of every ant it met. This 

 was uncanny, a little too much, and I ground 

 the fraction of ant to powder. No wonder the 

 army ant is such a virile creature, endowed 

 with the most extreme emotions, when, with 

 such a small section of its anatomy remaining 

 it can continue to show such astounding activity. 



One could study for hours the interactions 

 among the army ants themselves. More than 

 once I saw a good-sized ant transporting one of 

 its fellows, exactly as it would carry a bit of 

 booty. I tried to examine this ant, and to my 

 surprise, both attacked me ferociously. The one 

 which was carried was neither dead, ill, nor dis- 

 abled, but very much alive. I cannot even 

 suggest an explanation of this phenomenon, as 

 it did not seem an attempt to aid a comrade 

 in distress. 



As dusk began to settle down, I found a 

 column of ants which must have discovered and 

 sacked the city of some stranger ants. They 

 were laden with ant-booty: eggs, larvae, and 

 dead ants by the hundred. It was comprehen- 

 sible, but what I did not at first understand was 



