CHAP. X. THE BED ANTS. 321 



and the females seem to be " very peaceable creatures, 

 and always glad to get out of harm's way." Their 

 subjects, however, are sometimes quarrelsome and pug- 

 nacious : and this brings us to notice the wars of the 

 ants ; the occasions which produce them ; and the 

 modes in which they are conducted. It has been 

 well observed, that " to these little bustling creatures 

 a square foot of earth is a territory worth contend- 

 ing for." And when it is considered how very close 

 different communities bring their nests, we cannot 

 wonder that dissensions should arise, and quarrels ensue. 

 These wars are sometimes civil, that is, between dif- 

 ferent parties in the same nest ; but they usually are 

 carried on against different species. It will be neces- 

 sary, however, to discriminate the peculiarities of some, 

 that they may not be attributed to others ; and for this 

 purpose we shall take a rapid survey of the habits of the 

 red ant (F. rubra) and of the rufous species (F. rufa 

 Lin.), as given by Gould and Huber, the two most un- 

 questionable and veracious authorities on this subject. 



(326.) " The red ant," observes Gould, " is the only 

 sort I could ever observe to feed upon their own species. 

 You may frequently discern a party, of from five or 

 six to twenty, surrounding one of their own kind, and 

 pulling it to pieces. The ant thus attacked is generally 

 feeble, and of a languid complexion, occasioned, perhaps, 

 by some disorder or other accident." * Hence our au- 

 thor concludes, that so soon as age or infirmity renders 

 the individuals of a nest incapable of labouring for 

 the general good, the rest set upon and destroy them. 

 However this may be, certain it is that the same pecu- 

 liarity of instinct is known to be possessed by many of 

 the ruminating quadrupeds. Mr. Kirby says, " I once 

 saw one of these ants dragged out of the nest by an- 

 other, without its head ; yet it was still alive, and 

 could crawl about. A lively imagination might have 

 fancied that this poor ant was a criminal, condemned, 

 by a court of justice, to suffer the extreme sentence of 



d, p. 104. 

 Y 



