Ants. 9 



possible, and never hesitating to sacrifice themselves 

 for the common good. 



9. Formica sanguinea, on the contrary, though 

 very like the Horse Ant in appearance, is very dif- 

 ferent in habits. It is a slave-making species, and 

 in their military expeditions, they attempt rather 

 to terrify than to kill. Indeed, when invading a 

 nest, they do not attack the flying inhabitants un- 

 less these are attempting to carry off pupae, in 

 which case the F. sanguinea force them to abandon 

 the pupae. When fighting, they attempt to crush 

 their enemies with their mandibles. 



10. Formica exsecta is a delicate, but very active 

 species. They also advance in serried masses, but 

 in close quarters they bite right and left, dancing 

 about to avoid being bitten themselves. When 

 fighting with larger species they spring on to their 

 backs, and then seize them by the neck or by an 

 antenna. They also have the instinct of acting 

 together, three or four seizing an enemy at once, 

 and then pulling different ways, so that she on her 

 part cannot get at any one of her foes. One of 

 them then jumps on her back and cuts, or rather 

 saws, off her head. In battles between this ant 

 and the much larger F. pratcnsis, many of the 

 F. exsecta may be seen on the backs of the F. pra- 

 tensis, sawing off their heads from behind. 



n. The ants of the different species of Lasius 

 make up in numbers what they want in strength. 

 Several of them seize an enemy at once, one by 



