FRUITS. CHAP. 



near the attacked tree, and that, when these be well 

 covered with ants, to plunge them into a bucket of 

 water, drown the ants, then put the sheep's trotters near 

 the tree again to wait for another cargo. By these 

 means something may be done, to be sure) but, the true 

 way is, to find out the nest from which they come 5 for 

 they are extremely scrupulous in this respect j it is only 

 one tribe that makes its attack upon one and the same 

 object. If you look attentively you will find that, in the 

 morning, very early, they all come in the same direction, 

 and that they go in exactly the same way back at night. 

 Trace them to their fortress j and, when it is quite 

 night, treat them to a bucket of water that is as nearly 

 upon the boil as possible. You kill the whole tribe. 

 When my melon -beds were attacked by the horse-ants, I 

 set to work to discover whence they came. I traced 

 them along a brick wall. Then out of the garden between 

 the door-frame and the wall. Then along at the bottom 

 of the edge of the wall on the side of a lawn ; then, 

 after having made an angle along the wall, going, as I 

 thought, over it into a meadow on the other side. Every 

 corner of hedge and ditch of that meadow was examined 

 to discover the nest, but in vain. Looking back to the 

 spot where I thought they went over the wall, we dis- 

 covered that they turned along the top of the wall, 

 and went under the roof of a summer-house that was 

 ceiled below : having lifted up a tile, there we saw 

 bushels of ants, with little sticks and straws, the result 

 of years of their detestable industry. A copper of water 

 was made to boil against the evening. It was taken to 

 the spot in a boiling state as nearly as possible ; every 

 thing was prepared for the purpose, and by midnight, 





