HABITS AND INSTINCTS OF ANIMALS. CHAP. X. 



afford ! Another of M. Huber's experiments rendered 

 the contrast equally striking. He put a large portion 

 of one of these mixed societies into a woollen bag, in 

 the mouth of which he fixed a small tube of wood, 

 glazed at the top, the other end being fixed to the 

 entrance of a kind of hive. The second day the tube 

 was crowded with negroes going and returning : the 

 indefatigable diligence and activity manifested by them 

 in transporting the young brood and their rufous 

 masters, whose bodies were suspended upon their man- 

 dibles, was astonishing. These last took no active part 

 in the busy scene, while their slaves showed the greatest 

 anxiety about them, generally carrying them into the 

 hive ; and if they sometimes contented themselves with 

 depositing them at the entrance of the tube, it was that 

 they might use greater despatch in fetching the rest. 

 The master ant, when thus set down, remained for a 

 moment coiled up without motion ; and then, leisurely 

 unrolling itself, looked all round, as if it was quite at 

 a loss what direction to take : it next went up to the 

 negroes, and, by the play of its antennae, seemed to 

 implore their succour, till one of them attended to it, 

 and conducted it to the hive.* 



(334.) On some extraordinary occasions, however, 

 the slaves are carried by their masters. M. Huber 

 notices an instance of the rufous species, who, wishing 

 to emigrate from their own to a deserted nest, reversed 

 the usual mode of proceeding on such occasions, and 

 took upon themselves the task of carrying all their 

 slaves to the new habitation they had chosen. The 

 sanguine ants are more industrious than the others, 

 as they will assist their negroes in building their nests, 

 and in collecting the honey furnished to them by the 

 Aphides. They treat their vassals, indeed, with peculiar 

 affection ; for, if their nest is invaded by an enemy, 

 " they show their estimation for these faithful servants 

 by carrying them down into the lowest apartments, as 

 to a place of the greatest security." 



\* Int. to Ent. vol. ii. p. 85. 



