INSECTS. 



bearing away some trophy with them; a joint of a cockroach's leg, the 

 body of a spider, or the larvae of some insects, etc., are the various spoils. 

 As the laborers pass on with their loads, they are guarded by a large body 

 of soldiers, which are stationed along the sides of their path; or, if they 

 are to pass through a place of uncommon exposure, these soldiers form a cov- 

 ered passage, by standing upon each other's back and hooking their forceps 

 together, and through the arch thus formed the laborers pass in safetx 



These drivers are blind, and they try to avoid the light of the sun. 

 They only appear in the daytime on dark days, and then keep in the shade 

 of the thick woods and deep grass. In their journeys they go in rank 

 from four to eight abreast, and progress at the rate of about two yards a 

 minute. Says Dr. Perkins : " I have seen a stream of drivers crossing an 

 open path at six o'clock in the morning, and at six at night their number 

 was undiminished. How long they had been passing before I saw them, 

 or how long they continued, I am unable to say. Their path, from constant 

 travel, became quite worn and smooth." These ants, according to Dr. 

 Savage, will destroy even the largest animal if it be confined so that it 

 cannot escape. "Indeed, it is said that they have been known to destroy 

 the great python when gorged with food and powerless. The natives even 

 believe that the python, after crushing its victim, does not venture to swal- 

 low it, until it has made a search, and is satisfied that there are no drivers 

 in the vicinity ! " 



In their habits, the foraging ants {Eciton) of South America are closely 

 similar to the drivers of tropical Africa, but in structure they differ consider- 

 ably. Mr. Bates saw ten different species of them, and his account is so inter- 

 esting that the reader will certainly pardon somewhat extensive extra ts 

 All hunt in vast organized armies, but each has its own method of hunting. 



" The Eciton legionis lives in open places, and was seen only on the 

 sandy campas of Santarem. The movements of its hosts were, therefore, 

 much more easy to observe than those of all other kinds which inhabit 

 solely the densest thickets; its bite and sting were also less formidable 

 than those of other species. The armies . . . consist of many thousand 

 individuals, and move in rather broad columns. They are just as quick t<> 

 break line on being disturbed, and attack hurriedly and furiously any 

 intruding object, as the other Ecitons. . . . The first time I saw an army 

 was one evening near sunset. The column consisted of two trains of ants, 

 moving in opposite directions; one train empty-handed, the other laden 

 with the mangled remains of insects, chiefly larva? and pupae of other 

 ants. . . . 



" On the following morning no trace of ants could be found near the 

 place where I had seen them the preceding day, nor were there signs of 



