30 THE HUMANIZING OF THE BRUTE. 



credible rapidity a number of emissaries hurry through 

 the main body of the army, and in less than 30 seconds 

 the forces are ready for the attack. In a twinkling 

 they scale the walls of the F. rufibarbis bulwark. With 

 indescribable celerity the Amazons fall upon their en- 

 emy. And there we may behold a twofold spectacle. 

 While one part of the Polyergus warriors is murdering 

 the defenders of the hostile nest, the other and greater 

 part is rushing through every opening into the interior 

 of the enemy's citadel. Some minutes have passed. 

 A double stream of ants is issuing from the interior of 

 the nest. Both are loaded down with cocoons, the 

 "papooses" of ants, one consisting of F. rufibarbis en- 

 deavoring to save what may be saved, the other of the 

 Polyergus troops hastily returning with their booty. 

 There is no useless shedding of blood. The crania of 

 the F. rufibarbis are trepanned only in so far as they 

 refuse to yield up their progeny. Suddenly the scene 

 is changed. The F. rufibarbis, noticing the hasty 

 flight of the ravishers, at once pursue them to make 

 them give up their precious burden. There is a fierce 

 pulling and struggling hither and thither. The F. 

 rufibarbis plunge their mandibles into the legs and 

 feelers of the Amazons and cover them with venomous 

 ejections from their abdomens. But only some of the 

 Amazons' rearguard are constrained by superior num- 

 bers to deliver up the ravished cocoons, while one or 

 the other of their warriors remains a corpse upon the 

 field. In about ten minutes everything is over. The 

 scattered F. rufibarbis forces return to their dwelling 

 to restore everything, if possible, to its pristine state. 

 The stolen cocoons, however, are handed over by the 

 Polyergus to their slaves, already present in the nest, 



