336 HABITS AND INSTINCTS OF ANIMALS. CHAP. X. 



shall here term them are those little green-bodied 

 creatures which pack themselves so thick and close on 

 the stems of plants particularly rose-huds during 

 summer; and often in such numbers as to disfigure 

 the plant and destroy the flower. As we shall speak of 

 these insects elsewhere, it is merely necessary to inform 

 the reader, in this place, that they eject a sweet honey- 

 like fluid, which may be correctly termed their milk. 

 It is this fluid, secreted in drops, which is so particularly 

 grateful to the ants, that they attend on the honey-flies 

 for the sole purpose of gathering it. Linnaeus, long ago, 

 observed this, and truly remarked, that the ant ascends 

 the tree that it may milk its cows. This is literally 

 done ; for not only do the ants watch the moment when 

 the honey-flies, at regular intervals, eject their milk, but 

 they absolutely possess the art of making them yield it 

 at their pleasure, or, in other words, of milking them. 

 On these occasions, their antennas are used as fingers ; 

 with these they pat the abdomen of the Aphis alter- 

 nately on each side, moving them very briskly ; a little 

 drop of fluid immediately appears, which the ant takes 

 into its mouth. When it has thus milked one, it pro- 

 ceeds to another, and so on, until, being satisfied, it re- 

 turns to the nest. But the most extraordinary part of 

 these proceedings is the fact that ants ee make a property 

 of these cows, for the possession of which they contend 

 with great earnestness, and use every means to keep 

 them to themselves. Sometimes they seem to claim a 

 right to the Aphides that inhabit a particular branch or 

 stalk ; and if stranger ants attempt to share their 

 treasure with them, they endeavour to drive them away, 

 and may be seen running about in a great bustle, exhi- 

 biting every symptom of inquietude and anger. Some- 

 times, to rescue them from their rivals, they take their 

 Aphides in their mouth : they generally keep guard 

 around them ; and, when the branch is conveniently 

 situated, they have recourse to an expedient still more 

 effectual to keep off interlopers ; they inclose it in a 

 tube of earth, or other materials j and thus confine them 



