THE RIVER 47 



ments of the ants on the trunk and branches are, 

 therefore, very plainly observable. It is very interesting 

 to watch them ; they swarm over the tree in thousands, 

 for what purpose I could never clearly determine. 

 They did not appear to feed, or to carry away seeds 

 to the nest, or to repose, or, in short, to do anything 

 save to roam incessantly about, and always at full 

 speed. The rapidity of their movements used always 

 to excite my wonder. They ran up the trunk appa- 

 rently with as much facility as they ran down it, and 

 they raced along the under and the upper sides of the 

 branches with just the same ease and rapidity. One 

 might almost fancy that the force of gravity did not 

 affect them. 



The burtunga ants are not only themselves of great 

 size, but they have especially large and powerful jaws. 

 They are capable consequently of inflicting, for an 

 ant, a very severe bite. Their power in this respect 

 is utilized in native surgery. They are used, as thread 

 is with us, to stitch together the sides of wounds, 

 especially sword cuts. The mode of procedure has 

 been thus described to me : A number of these ants 

 are caught and held in readiness ; the edges of the 

 wound are then pressed together, and the ants placed 

 on them, each at short intervals. The ants im- 

 mediately bite, digging their jaws into the flesh on 

 either side of the wound. The necks of the ants 

 are next snipped off with a pair of scissors ; the bodies 

 fall to the ground, leaving the edges of the wound 

 firmly held together by the line of heads and jaws. 



The English surgeon of the station, to whom I 



