TWO CHAPTERS ON ANTS. 



I. 



SLAVE-MAKING ANTS. 



THE family of ants is ranked the highest 

 among insects. The geologist tells us that 

 this family does not date very far back in 

 the world's history. The lowest forms of 

 the hymenoptera appear in the Jurassic pe- 

 riod, but the ants do not make their appear- 

 ance until the tertiary period, while other 

 orders of insects have been found in the car- 

 boniferous era, and some even in the Devo- 

 nian formation. 



The anatomist shows us that the nervous 

 system of the ant is highly organized, that 

 the cerebral ganglia are well developed, 

 evincing an intellectual superiority over the 

 rest of the insect world. 



Eminent naturalists, especially in Europe, 

 have devoted almost their entire lives to 

 the study of these interesting creatures, but 



