IN THE OPEN [ [ 



the year before and reared in slavery. Whereas 

 the red ants always came to each other's assistance, 

 the blacks rarely did so. 



By five o'clock the raid was practically over for 

 the day. It ceased as suddenly as it had begun. 

 Early in the struggle a slender, straggling column 

 had diverged from the main line, about half way 

 between the nests. I now found the entire body 

 of ants moving in this new diredtion. The one 

 raid over, they had undertaken another upon a 

 colony of blacks some twenty-five yards distant, 

 and were transporting the pupae and larvas at about 

 the same rate as before. To reach this nest, the 

 column must cross the wagon road, and here a 

 number were crushed from time to time by passing 

 vehicles. But the marching army passed by with 

 the stolen pupae and paid no heed to their 

 wounded comrades. This second foray ceased before 

 nightfall. 



The following morning by ten o'clock the raid 

 had been renewed and a great stream of ants were 

 bearing away pupae as before. Whenever the 

 column moved over dry leaves its progress was 

 distinctly audible, a rustling sound suggesting the 

 curiously dry crik crik of a serpent. The footfall 



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