SLAVE-MAKING ANTS. 67 



no; several ants start toward the beetle, 

 which sees them,, and evidently thinking 

 discretion the better part of valor, it runs 

 away. 



I carried several slave-makers to a colony 

 of brown ants, many of which were crowd- 

 ed around the honey, and dropped them 

 among the feeding ants. A battle ensued. 

 Superiority of strength, however, was final- 

 ly overcome by multitudes ; as fast as a 

 brown ant was disabled it was replaced by 

 a fresh one, so that not a single red es- 

 caped ; but more browns were killed in the 

 conflict than reds. After the slave-makers 

 were all killed, it was amusing to see the 

 difference of mind manifested with regard 

 to the disposal of the enemy. Some of the 

 ants were determined to take the mutilated 

 remains within the nest, while others were 

 equally bent on carrying tnern a long dis- 

 tance away. Two ants of opposite mind 

 seize the body of the enemy and struggle 

 over it, now one gaining a few inches of 

 ground, then the other, until a third comes 

 up and settles the difficulty by deciding in 

 favor of its being carried away ; so the one 

 ant is obliged to yield to the two, and gives 

 up the contest and remains at home. The 

 two ants work together a short time, and 



