178 ASSOCIATION OF ORGANISMS THE WEB OF LIFE 



times occur. More observations are necessary in order to settle 

 the question. Lord Avebury makes the following conjectures 

 (in Ants, Bees, and Wasps] as to the past history of Anergates: 

 " We may safely conclude that in distant times their ancestors 

 lived, as so many ants do now, partly by hunting, partly on honey; 

 that by degrees they became bold marauders, and gradually took 

 to keeping slaves; that for a time they maintained their strength 

 and agility, though losing by degrees their real independence, 

 their arts, and even many of their instincts; that gradually even 

 their bodily force dwindled away under the enervating influence 

 to which they had subjected themselves, until they sank to their 

 present degraded condition weak in body and mind, few in 

 numbers, and apparently nearly extinct, the miserable repre- 

 sentatives of far superior ancestors, maintaining a precarious 

 existence as contemptible parasites of their former slaves." 



Ants not only keep cattle and slaves, but are also known, in 

 many cases, to entertain quite a number of insect guests, which 

 they feed and otherwise look after, their attentions being pro- 

 bably often rewarded by some sort of sweet substance produced 

 by their visitors, though this does not appear to be invariably the 

 case. Beetles are especially common among such true guests, 

 and many species (as also of other sorts of insect) are to be 

 found nowhere else, being then known as ants' -nest insects 

 (myrmecophilous insects). They often somewhat resemble their 

 entertainers in appearance, and are fully versed in the ways of 

 the nest The latter point is well illustrated by the way in which 

 they stroke ants that have returned from foraging, to induce them 

 to disgorge some of the honey with which the crop is distended 

 (fig. 1127, A). One very remarkable case has been described 

 in which certain ants (JLasius) carry about mites on their bodies, 

 feeding them from time to time, and otherwise treating them 

 with great consideration, though apparently without deriving any 

 corresponding, benefit. 



Besides the true guests just mentioned, there may be also 

 various sorts of tolerated guest, which the ants treat with more 

 or less indifference. A case in point is afforded by a small ant 

 (Formicoxenus nitidulus], which is permitted to live unmolested 

 in the hills of the large Horse- Ant (Formica rufa). A somewhat 

 amusing instance is that of a species of Tassel- tail (Grassiella 

 polypoda], which maintains itself in the nest of a kind of ant 



