UMBRELLA ANT. 



441 



house ; and when they leave it, which is in one or two hours 

 after their first appearance, no vermin of any description remain 

 in the house. Eats, snakes, cockroaches, spiders, scorpions, and 

 even fleas, all are gone, and for a month or two there is peace 

 in the house." 



These Ants not only devour the insects that go by the popular 

 name of vermin, but attack every insect that may come in their 

 way. They have been seen to capture the nests of the large and 

 formidable wasp which hangs its nest from the Brazilian trees ; 

 and once Mr. Bates saw a column of Ecitons deliberately attack 

 a nest of a great burrowing Ant, sink a shaft into it, and then 

 pour into it by thousands. They tore out the inhabitants from 

 their home, and were so fierce and bold that w T hen Mr. Bates 

 tried to catch some of the burrowing Ants for his collection, the 

 Ecitons tried to pull them out of his fingers. This species was 

 Eciton legionis, which always forms in a broad column when on 

 the march, and not in a long narrow column. 



Although the insect which is scientifically termed Atta cepha- 

 htes looks even more formidable than the Ecitons, it is not to be 



Fi". 220.— Atta cephaiotes. 

 (Reddish brown.) 



dreaded as a foe. As we shall presently see, it is a most annoy- 

 ing insect, and often does great damage to the property of man, 

 if not to his person. The native name of this insect is Satiba, 

 and it is popularly known by the name of Umbrella or Parasol 

 Ant, on account of a curious habit which it has of carrying 



