A JUNGLE LABOR-UNION 16^ 



black, musty depths, where it is the duty of these 

 soldiers to walk about and wait for trouble. 

 What could have raised the ire of such stolid 

 neuters against one another? Was it sheer lack 

 of something to do? or was there a cell or two 

 of the winged caste lying fallow within their bod- 

 ies, which, stirring at last, inspired a will to bat- 

 tle, a passing echo of romance, of the activities 

 of the male Atta? 



Their unnatural combat had stirred scores of 

 smaller workers to the highest pitch of excite- 

 ment. Now and then, out of the melee, a Me- 

 dium would emerge, with a tiny Minim in his 

 jaws. One of these carried his still living bur- 

 den many feet away, along an unused trail, and 

 dropped it. I examined the small ant, and found 

 that it had lost an antenna, and its body was 

 crushed. When the ball of fighters cleared, 

 twelve small ants were seen clinging to the legs 

 and heads of the mutilated giants, and now and 

 then these would loosen their hold on each other, 

 turn, and crush one of their small tormenters. 

 Several times I saw a Medium rush up and tear 

 a small ant away, apparently quite insane with 

 excitement. 



Occasionally the least exhausted giant would 



