ENTOMOLOGICAL. 91 



Sir John Lubbock mentions an instance : " Thus a species 

 of acacia, if unprotected, is apt to be stripped of its leaves, 

 not directly for food but to grow mushrooms on. The 

 acacia, however, bears hollow thorns, and each leaflet 

 produces honey in a crater-formed gland at the base, and 

 a small, sweet, pear-shaped body at the tip. In con- 

 sequence, it is inhabited by myriads of a small ant which 

 nests in the hollow thorns, and thus finds meat, drink, 

 and lodging all provided for. These ants are continually 

 roaming over the plant, and constitute a most efficient 

 body-guard, not only driving off the leaf-cutting ants, 

 but even rendering the leaves less liable to be eaten by 

 herbivorous mammalia." 



In a similar manner, while the ea,x-wig (which, by the 

 way, should be eax-wing, from the striking resemblance 

 the inner wing of this insect bears to the outside the 

 auditory chamber of the human ear) is often busy seek- 

 ing to devour the aphis which feeds upon the sweet 

 nectar found upon our garden plants, the ant protects 

 the aphis, proclaiming war against the ear-wig ; and, in 

 return, the aphis allows its friend, the ant, to suck the 

 sweet juice out of its body which it has first taken from 

 the plant. This kindness is again returned by the 

 ants taking the aphis into its nest, and providing for 

 it there in the winter season. And thus we may see, 

 if we will but use our eyes, that this principle of giving 

 and taking is to be found running throughout every 

 department of nature, whilst the higher and grander 

 principle of vicarious suffering that is of substitution, 

 or, one thing dying in order that another may live 

 runs through the whole world from a caterpillar to 

 the highest type of mankind. 



This deeply interesting subject would well repay you 

 to follow by consulting a deeply interesting little book, 



