o-.C SPECIAL INSTINCTS. 



with pleuty of food which they like best, and with their 

 own larvse and pupae to stimulate them to work, they did 

 nothing; they could not even feed themselves, and many 

 perished of hunger. Huber then introduced a single slave 

 (F. fusca), and she instantly set to work, fed and saved 

 the survivors; made some cells and tended the larvae, and 

 put all to rights. What- can be more extraordinary than 

 lliese well-ascertained facts ? If we had not known of any 

 other slave-making ant, it would have been hopeless to 

 .^peculate how so wonderful an instinct could have beer*, 

 perfected. 



Another species, Formica sanguinea, was likewise first 

 discovered by P. Huber to be a slave-making ant. This 

 species is found in the southern parts of England, and its 

 habits have been attended to by Mr. F. Smith, of the Brit- 

 ish Museum, to whom I am much indebted for information 

 on this and other subjects. Although fully trusting to the 

 statements of Huber and Mr. Smith, I tried to approach 

 the subject in a skeptical frame of mind, as any one may 

 well be excused for doubting the existence of so extraordi- 

 nary an instinct as that of making slaves. Hence, I will 

 give the observations which I made in some little detail. 

 I opened fourteen nests of F. sanguinea, and found a few 

 slaves in all. Males and fertile females of the slave species 

 (F. fusca) are found only in their own proper communi- 

 ties, and have never been observed in the nests of F. san- 

 guinea. Tlie slaves are black and not above half the size 

 of tlieir red masters, so that the contrast in their appear- 

 ance is great. When the nest is slightly disturbed, the 

 slaves occasionally come out, and like their masters are much 

 agitated and defend the nest: when the nest is much dis- 

 turbed, and the larvae and pupae are exposed, the slaves 

 work energetically together with their masters in carrying 

 them away to a place of safety. Hence, it is clear that 

 the slaves feel quite at home. During the months of June 

 and July, on three successive years, I watched for many 

 hours several nests in Surrey and Sussex, and never saw a 

 slave either leave or enter a nest. As, during these 

 months, the slaves are very few in number, I thought that 

 they might behave differently when more numerous; but 

 Mr.^ Smith informs me that he has watched the nests at 

 various hours during May, June and August, both in Sur- 



