208 NATURE'S STORY OF THE YEAR 



these living burdens. And once I witnessed a 

 battle of ants. 



It was many years ago. The incident was one 

 to be remembered. One Sunday afternoon, in the 

 summer, a garden path was found to be partly 

 covered with ants, some of them red and some 

 black, and sometimes mixed in groups, but mostly 

 in little companies all of one colour. A closer 

 inspection revealed the fact that a battle was in 

 progress between a nest of red ants and a nest of 

 black ones. Chairs were requisitioned, and there, 

 for an hour or more, we watched the strife. The 

 red ants were somewhat longer than the black, but 

 the latter were the more robust, and it seemed that 

 there were more red maimed or dying, and a 

 greater number of them than of the black being 

 carried out of the fray. But the most amazing 

 feature was the courage of the combatants. Each 

 seemed to be a hero, ready to die without flinching. 

 A single one would rush against ten or a dozen, to 

 be overwhelmed in a moment ; but a great company 

 of the same hue as the victim might try to rescue 

 him, and then would ensue a mighty scrimmage for 

 the carcase. Many were the gallant rescues per- 



