Popular SBtcttonarj? of &mmatrtf Mature, 195 



way, they will adopt them as a substitute 

 for the arch. This covered way seems to be 

 designed in part for the protection of workers 

 in transporting prey, pupae, &c., but chiefly 

 against the direct rays of the sun, an exposure 

 to which, in places where the REFLECTON is 

 strong, is certain death in less than two mi- 

 nutes. When the sun's rays are intercepted 

 for days, the arch is wanting ; and, even 

 with the arch, in a bright strong sunshine, 

 masses of the Drivers are found under the 

 thick grass in holes and other places, re- 

 galing themselves in the shade till the 

 decline of the sun, when their work is re- 

 newed with their characteristic vigour. 



" In cloudy days, when on their predatory 

 excursions, or migrating, an arch for the 

 protection of the workers, &c. is constructed 

 of the bodies of their largest class. Their 

 widely extended jaws, long slender limbs, 

 and projecting antenna; intertwining, form 

 a sort of net- work that seems to answer well 

 their object. Whenever an alarm is given, 

 the arch is instantly broken, and the ants, 

 joining others of the same class on the out- 

 side of the line, who seem to be acting as 

 commanders, guides, and scouts, run about 

 in a furious manner in pursuit of the enemy. 

 If the alarm should prove to be without 

 foundation, the victory won,or danger passed, 

 the arch is quickly removed, and the main 

 column marches forward as before in all the 

 order of an intellectual military discipline. 



"I will here describe an attempt that I 

 recently made to destroy one of their commu- 

 nities, which, with the facts in the order in 

 which they transpired, and the collateral cir- 

 cumstances attending it, will fairly illustrate 

 i many of their habits. My observations were 

 ! made in part at my former station (Cape 

 Palmas), where I resided nearly eight years. 

 I have been at my present station about 

 eight months. During the first four months 

 of the latter period I was greatly annoyed 

 by the frequent visitations and ravages of 

 these insects ; at one time literally driving 

 out every member of the female department 

 of the school ; at another the male depart- 

 ment ; then the inmates of my own dwelling; 

 again, attacking my horse, then my pigs, 

 fowls, &c. &c. ; nothing, in fine, possessing 

 animal life escaping their assaults. They 

 always pounced upon us at night, and gene- 

 rally when our senses were reposing in sleep. 

 Occasionally we were apprised of their de- 

 signs at nightfall by a few suspicious in- 

 dividuals lurking in the vicinity in advance 

 of the main body, but mostly they took us 

 by surprise. At last their annoyance seemed 

 to have reached the highest point of our 

 forbearance, and a resolution was forthwith 

 taken to discover their habitation, and, if 

 possible, expel them from the vicinity. 

 Accordingly I commenced cutting over the 

 premises, and had proceeded as far as two- 

 thirds the way down the mount on which 

 my dwellings stand, when, beneath a shelving 

 rock of decomposing granite, their haunt was 

 discovered. They had been roused bythe noise 

 and efforts of the workmen, and had come 

 i forth in incalculable numbers for defence, 

 literally blackening the surrounding grass 

 and shrubbery. Lines of ants, going and com- 



ing agreeably to the rules of their order, were 

 running in opposite directions. Their paths 

 were very distinct and well trodden, of about 

 an inch in width. In other directions were 

 seen covered ways forsaken, the object of 

 their formation no longer existing, no prey 

 having been discovered, or, if found, being 

 disposed of, and other regions lying open 

 for exploration. Their numbers could not 

 be computed ; millions on millions seemed 

 to be there, besides thousands that were 

 going and coming with astonishing speed 

 and alacrity. 



" In attempting their destruction I adopted 

 the mode of the natives, which is, to ignite 

 on the spot a collection of the dried leaves of 

 a species of Corypha (fan palm of this coast), 

 about six feet in diameter, and dried grass, 

 with other combustible matter. A fire of 

 great intensity was thus kindled, which con- 

 tinued to burn for a considerable time. This 

 I supposed would be the last of our trouble- 

 some neighbours. Two days after, how- 

 ever, on going to the spot for the purpose of 

 examining into their domicile, I was sur- 

 prised to see a tree at a short distance, about 

 eighteen inches in diameter, to the height 

 of four feet from the ground, with the ad- 

 jacent plants and earth, perfectly black with 

 them. From the lower limbs (four feet 

 high) were festoons or lines of the size of a 

 man's thumb, reaching to the plants and 

 ground below, consisting entirely of these 

 insects ; others were ascending and descend- 

 ing upon them, thus holding free and ready 

 communication with the lower and upper 

 portion of this dense mass. One of these 

 festoons I saw in the act of formation ; it 

 was a good way advanced when first ob- 

 served : ant after ant coming down from 

 above, extending their long limbs and open- 

 ing wide their jaws, gradually lengthened 

 out the living chain till it touched the broad 

 leaf of a Canna coccinea below. It now 

 swung to and fro in the wind, the terminal 

 ant the meanwhile endeavouring to attach 

 it by his jaws and legs to the leaf ; not suc- 

 ceeding, another ant of the same class (the 

 very largest) was seen to ascend the plant, 

 and, fixing his hind legs with the apex of 

 the abdomen firmly to the leaf under the 

 vibrating column, then reaching forth his 

 fore legs and opening wide his jaws, closed 

 in with his companion from above, and thus 

 completed the most curious ladder in the 

 world." 



In about two hours Dr. Savage visited the 

 spot again, when the hanging lines or fes- 

 toons were gone, and about half of the mass 

 also ; some below the surface, others on their 

 predatory excursions ; and they again under- 

 went the fiery ordeal, which urged them 

 forwards, and they marched on with all 

 their former celerity. Next morning he 

 found them still engaged in removing. 

 Thousands and tens of thousands must have 

 been destroyed by the two fires, and yet 

 apparently their numbers wsre undimi- 

 nished. Neither on this nor any other oc- 

 casion did he detect a winged individual, 

 though it was the season when such are to 

 be found in all communities of ants not 

 apterous. 



S 2 



