86 THE HUMANIZING OF THE BRUTE. 



parts of the Polyergus would in themselves not be 

 sufficiently warranted, unless actual experiment had 

 corroborated them. Examining the mandibles of the 

 Polyergus, we find that on the interior side they have 

 a slight excavation widening toward the head (Fig. 

 1). But as the Amazons are endowed with great pred- 

 atory instinct, they take delight in exercising their 

 mandibles upon their foes; and if then these organs 

 happen to be inserted into the body of ants or their 

 cocoons, the channels contained in them convey the 

 liquid to the lower parts of the mouth. Now Was- 

 mann with sufficient frequency observed the following 

 fact: While the mandibles of a Polyergus, having 

 pierced the body of an enemy, were resting quietly in 

 the same position, their palpi and lower lips were 

 moving in regular intervals toward the inside, this 

 movement lasting from three to five minutes But 

 precisely this motion of the palpi and lip constitute 

 the eating operation of ants. Moreover, Adlerz, Was- 

 mann and the writer himself have noticed how in ob- 

 servation nests Polyergus accidentally coming into 

 contact with the glass panes of the walls licked off the 

 drops of precipitation found upon them. From this it 

 follows that the Polyergus are actually capable of in- 

 dependent nutrition. What should we, therefore, na- 

 turally expect of them, if they are robbed of their 

 slaves? Most assuredly that impelled by hunger they 

 would make use of their power of eating and would 

 make an independent effort to partake of the food 

 placed before them. But what are the actual facts? 

 The result of numberless experiments is the following: 

 Although the Polyergus are able to eat and accident- 



