VOL. LXXX.] PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS. GSQ 



to distinguish them was infallible, and known to every one. Their numbers were 

 incredible. The roads are seen coloured by them for miles together: and so 

 crouded were they in many places, that the print of the horses feet would appear 

 for a moment or two, till filled up by the surrounding multitude. All the other 

 species of ants, though numerous, were circumscribed and confined to a small 

 spot, in proportion to the space occupied by the cane ants, as a mole hill to a 

 mountain. The common black ants of that country had their nests about the 

 foundation of houses or old walls; others in hollow trees ; and a large species in 

 the pastures, descending by a small aperture under ground. The sugar ants uni- 

 versally constructed their nests among the roots of particular plants and trees, 

 such as the sugar-cane, lime, lemon, and orange trees, &c. 



The destruction of these ants was attempted chiefly by poison and the appli- 

 cation of fire. For the first purpose, arsenic and corrosive sublimate, mixed 

 with animal substances, such as salt fish, herrings, crabs, and other shell-fish, 

 &c. were used, which was greedily devoured by them. Myriads of them were 

 thus destroyed; and the more so, as it was observed by a magnifying glass, and 

 indeed by the naked eye, that corrosive sublimate had the effect of rendering 

 them so outrageous that they destroyed each other; and that effect was produced 

 even by coming into contact with it. But it is clear, and it was found, that 

 these poisons could not be laid in sufficient quantities over so large a tract of land, 

 as to give the hundred- thousandth part of them a taste, and consequently they 

 proved inadequate to the task. 



The use of fire afforded a greater probability of success ; for it was observed, 

 that if wood, burnt to the state of charcoal, without flame, and immediately 

 taken from the fire, was laid in their way, they crouded to it in such amazing 

 numbers as soon to extinguish it, though with the destruction of thousands of 

 them in effecting it. This part of their history appears scarcely credible; but, 

 on making the experiment himself, Mr. C. found it literally true. He laid fire, 

 as above described, where there appeared but a very few ants, and in the course 

 of a few minutes thousands were seen crouding to it and on it, till it was per- 

 fectly covered by their dead bodies. Holes were therefore dug at proper distances 

 in a cane piece, and fire made in each of them. Prodigious quantities perished 

 in this way ; for those fires, when extinguished, appeared in the shape of mole- 

 hills, from the numbers of their dead bodies heaped on them. Yet they soon 

 appeared again as numerous as ever. This may be accounted for, not only from 

 their amazing fecundity, but that probably none of the breeding ants, or young 

 brood, suffered from the experiment. For the same reason, the momentary 

 general application of fire by burning the cane trash, or straw of the cane, as it 

 lay on the ground, proved as little effectual; for though perhaps multitudes of 

 ants might have been destroyed, yet in general they would escape by retiring to 



VOL. XVI. 4 T 



