in.] ENEMIES MODES OF WARFARE. 73 



mite, which remained continuously in the same position, 

 was almost as large as the head. The ant could not 

 remove it herself. She did not come out of the nest, so 

 that I could not do it for her, and none of her own 

 companions for three months, during which I watched 

 her, thought of performing this kind office. 



In character the different species of ants differ very 

 much from one another. F. fusca, the one which is 

 pre-eminently the enslaved ant, is, as might be expected, 

 extremely timid ; while the nearly allied F. cinerea 

 has, on the contrary, a considerable amount of in- 

 dividual audacity. F. rufa, the horse ant, according to 

 M. Forel, is especially characterised by the want of 

 individual initiative, and always moves in troops ; he 

 also regards the genus Formica as the most brilliant, 

 though some others excel it in other respects ; for 

 instance, in the sharpness of their senses. F. prat ens is 

 worries its slain enemies ; F. sanguinea never does. 

 The slave-making ant (P. rufescens) is, perhaps, the, 

 bravest of all. If a single individual finds herself 

 surrounded by enemies, she never attempts to fly, as 

 any other ant would, but transfixes her opponents one 

 after another, springing right and left with great agility, 

 till at length she succumbs, overpowered by numbers. 

 M. scdbrinodis is cowardly and thievish ; diking wars 

 among the larger species, they haunt the bdfcle-fields 

 and devour the dead. Tetramorium is said to be very 

 greedy ; Myrmecina very phlegmatic. 



In industry, ants are not surpassed even by bees and 

 wasps. They work all day, and in warm weather, if 

 need be, even at night too. I once watched an ant from 

 six in the morning, and she worked without intermission 

 till a quarter to ten at night. I had put her to a saucer 



