kobp.er ecitoxs. 551 



robbp:r ecttoxs. 



Another species (the Eciton legionis) lias Leen known to 

 attack other ants' nests for the sake of ])hinder. Mr. Bates 

 saw an army of them employed on the face of an inclined 

 hank of earth. They were excavating mines to get at the 

 nest of a larger species of ant of the genus Formica. Some 

 were rushing into the passages, others were seen assistmg 

 their conn*ades to lift out the bodies of the formicce, while 

 others were tearing them in pieces — their weight heing too 

 oreat for that of a sino-le eciton. A number of carriers then 

 seized each a fragment and carried it down the slope. When 

 the naturalist duo- into the earth with a small trowel, the 

 eager freebooters rushed in as fast as he excavated, ami 

 carried off the ants, so rapidly tearing them in pieces that he 

 had great difficulty in rescuing a few entire specimens. 



The little ecitons seemed to be divided into parties, some 

 excavating, others carrying away the grains of earth. When 

 the shafts became rather deep, tlie mining parties had to 

 climb up the sides each time they wished to cast out a pellet 

 of earth ; but their work was lightened by their comrades, 

 who stationed themselves at the mouth of the shaft and re- 

 lieved them of their burdens, carrying the particles to a suffi- 

 cient distance from the edge of the liole to ]^revent them 

 rolling in again. All the work seemed thus to be performed 

 by intelligent co-oj)eratioii among the host of eager little 

 creatures. Still, there was not a rigid division of lal)our ; for 

 some of them, whose proceedings he watched, acted at one 

 time as carriers of pellets, an<l at another as miners, and all 

 shortly afterwards assumed the office of conveyers of the spoil. 

 In about two hours, all the nests of the formica^ were rifled. 



