CONTENTS Xm 



CHAPTER XXIV. 



THE ENTOMOLOGICAL WONDERS OF THE TROPICS. 



( J radual Decrease of Insect-life on advancing towards the poles — Vast number 

 of Beetles in Brazil — The Hercules Beetle — The Goliath — The Inca Beetle — 

 Other colossal Insects — The Walking-leaf and Walking-stick Insects — The 

 Soothsayer — Luminous Beetles — The Cocujas . . . Page 265 



CHAPTER XXV. 



ANTS AND TERMITES. 



Vast numbers of Ants in the Tropical Zone — Excruciating pain caused by the 

 Sting of the Ponera Clavata — The Black Fire-Ant of Guiana — The Dimiya of 

 Ceylon — The Kaddiya — The Red Ant of Angola — Deva8t<ations of the 

 Viviagua in the West Indian Coflfee Phintations — The Atta-cephalotes, or the 

 Umbrella Ant — Household Plagues — Difficulty of preserving Sugar from their 

 attacks — The Ranger Ants — Wonderful construction of Tropical Ants — Slave- 

 making Ants — Cow-keeping Ants — The Mexican Honey Ant — Devastation 

 of the Termites — Their Services and Uses — Their marvellous Buildings — 

 Formation of a Termite Colony — Amazing fecundity of the Termite Queen — 

 Consequence of an Attack upon a Termite Hill — Wars between Termites and 

 Black Ants — American Termites — Termites esteemed as a Delicacy — March- 

 ing White Ants — Mysteries of Termite Life .... 272 



CHAPTER XXVI. 



TROPICAL SPIDERS AND SCORPIONS. 



Immense Webs of several Tropical Spiders — Their Means of Defence — Beautiful 

 Colouring of the Epeiras — The Trap-door Spider — Wonderful Maternal Instincts 

 of Spiders — Enemies of the Spiders — Their Usefulness — Mortal Combat 

 between a Spider and a Cockroach — Scorpions — Dreadful Effects of the Sting 

 of Tropical Scorpions — A Scorpion Battle — The Galeodes — Combat of a 

 Galeode and a Lizard — Formidable character of the Tropical Centipedes 291 



CHAPTER XXVII. 



THE TROPICAL OCEAN. 



Wanderings of an Iceberg — The Tropical Ocean — The Cachalot — The Frigate 

 Bird — The Tropic Bird— The Esculent Swallow— The Flying-fish — The Bonito 



— The White Shark — Tropical Fishes — Criistaceans — Land Crabs — Mollusks 



— Jelly Fish — Coral Islands . . . . . .302 



