PLUNDER AND SLAVE -CATCHING. 169 



the slaves make it for them, and actually carry their 

 masters to the new nest, the latter being incapable of 

 walking to it without their help. The slaves bring in 

 food, and not only feed the larvae, but their masters also, 

 who, from long disuse, have lost the power of feeding 

 themselves, just as the banana, from constant propaga- 

 tion by slips, has lost the power of producing seeds. 



Huber's experiments with this extraordinary ant are 

 too well known to need repetition. I will only mention 

 that when thirty Amazons, with a quantity of larvae and 

 pupae, were confined in a box, together with a supply of 

 honey, the insects did not know how to feed themselves, 

 and fifteen died of starvation on the second day. Huber 

 then introduced a single slave. This little creature at 

 once assumed the management, fed the starving Amazons 

 and larvse, scooped out a dwelling, and helped the newly 

 developed ants out of their pupa cases. 



Sir J. Lubbock repeated this experiment, with the 

 exception of allowing the ants to die of hunger, and kept 

 a number of the Amazons in perfect health by lending 

 them a slave for an hour or two daily, in order to feed 

 and cleanse them. 



In slavery among ants we see one of the many human 

 attributes which belong to these wonderful insects. 

 Moreover, we have slavery presented to us in its best 

 form. The ants are the kindest of masters to their 

 servants, and the latter are evidently imbued with the 

 warmest attachment to them. In the case already 

 mentioned, the slave was not compelled to feed and " do 



