82 The Study of Animal Life part i 



fought in the pontificate of Eugenius IV., in the presence of 

 Nicholas Pistoriensis, an eminent lawyer, who related the 

 whole history of the battle with the greatest fidelity." In 

 the fray the combatants are thoroughly absorbed, yet at a 

 little distance other workers are uninterruptedly treading 

 their daily paths ; the melee is intense, yet every ant seems 

 to know those of its own party ; the result of it all is often 

 nothing. We laugh at the ants — the laugh comes back on 

 ourselves. 



In some cases an expedition has the definite end of slave- 

 making, as is known to be true of Formica sanguinea — a 

 British species, and of Polyergus rufescens^ found on the Con- 

 tinent. The former captures the larvae of Forjiiica fusca, 

 carries them home, and owns them henceforth as well- 

 treated slaves ; while the Amazon Ant (Polyergus) draws 

 its supply from both F. fusca and F. cuniczilarza, and 

 seems to have become almost dependent on its captives. 

 Indeed, Hiiber says that he never knew the Amazons take 

 nourishment but from the mouth of the negro captives ; 

 while Lubbock notes that every transition exists between 

 bold and active baron-like marauders and enervated masters, 

 who are virtually helpless parasites upon their slaves — a 

 suggestive illustration of laziness outwitting itself. 



Slaves somewhat painfully suggest domesticated animals, 

 and these are also to be found among ants. For what 

 Linnaeus said long ago, that the ants went up trees to " milk 

 their cows, the Aphides," is true. The ants tickle these little 

 plant-lice with their antennae, and lick the juice which oozes 

 from them ; nay more, according to some, they inclose and 

 tend these milch kine, and even breed them at home. 

 Seed-harvesting and the like may be fairly called agricul- 

 tural, and do not the leaf-cutters grow mushrooms, or at 

 least feed on the fungi which grow on the leaves, stored 

 some say with that end in view ? The driver ants, 

 " whose dread is upon every living thing," when they 

 are on the stampede, remind us of the ancient troops 

 of nomad hunters, though some of them are blind. Thus 

 there are hunting, agricultuial, and pastoral ants — -three 

 types, as Lubbock remarks, offering a strange analogy 



