ANTS 131 



to carry the white eggs and pupae to a place of safety. But it 

 will be observed that in the nest there are to be seen a number 

 of very small but handsome beetles, perhaps in the proportion 

 of one to a hundred of the ants. What purpose do these entirely 

 different insects serve in the economy of ant life ? It appears 

 that this is a fact observed in the nests of many other kinds of 

 ants, for the Rev. J. G. Wood, in his charming book, " Homes 

 without Hands," says that above thirty species of beetle are 

 known as inhabiting ants' nests. But he can throw no light 

 upon the purpose served by the presence of the beetles. Besides 

 these large and conspicuous nests, containing probably thou- 

 sands of ants, other nests, of all sizes, from about that of a nut 

 to an orange and upwards, may be seen : the hamlets, villages, 

 and small towns of the ant world, while the large nests are the 

 great cities of their commonwealth. The ants inhabiting these 

 dwellings appear to be all of one species, and about three- 

 sixteenths of an inch in length. What can these little creatures 

 live upon ? for they can hardly descend for it to the ground, 

 from heights of twenty, thirty, and even fifty or sixty, feet. 



A very different kind of ants' nest is seen in the more open 

 and sunny forest paths (and also in the bare interior country). 

 These have the form of a low circular mound, from eighteen 

 inches or more in diameter, and perhaps eight to ten inches 

 high, and have a large opening at the top a miniature " crater." 

 This mound consists of the fine grains of earth and sand brought 

 up and thrown out by the little workers in excavating their 

 subterraneous dwelling. These ants are larger insects than the 

 arboreal species ; they are about three-eighths of an inch long, 

 and seem to exist in great numbers in their homes, the entrance 

 being like a crowded street, with passengers going to and fro. 

 They may be met with all round their nests, often at a consider- 

 able distance from them, frequently tugging along pieces of 

 chewed sugar-cane, or portions of dead insects, enormous in size 

 compared with themselves. The ants are the scavengers of the 

 country ; no beetle, or worm, or grub, or animal matter of any 

 kind, can be many minutes on the ground before it is detected by 

 some ant, which communicates the fact forthwith to its fellows, 

 and they immediately fall on the spoil, cut it in pieces and 

 convey it to their stronghold. It is astonishing to see the heavy 

 loads that two or three ants will stagger along with for the 



