Ants. 19 



species of the genus are in the same way parasitic 

 on bees. Ants are also sometimes attacked by 

 mites. On one occasion I observed that one of 

 my ants had a mite attached to the underside of 

 its head. The mite, which maintained itself for 

 more than three months in the same position, was 

 almost as large as the head of the ant. The ant 

 could not remove it herself. Being a queen, she did 

 not come out of the nest, so that I could not do it 

 for her ; and none of her own companions thought 

 of performing this kind office. 



5. In character the different species of ants 

 differ very much from one another. F. fusca, the 

 one which is pre-eminently the " Slave " Ant, is, as 

 might be expected, extremely timid ; while the 

 nearly allied F. cinerea has, on the contrary, a 

 considerable amount of individual audacity. F. 

 ritfa, the Horse Ant, is, according to M. Forel, 

 especially characterised by the want of individual 

 initiative, and always moves in troops ; he also 

 regards the genus Formica as the most brilliant, 

 though others excel it in other respects as, for 

 instance, in the sharpness of their senses. F. pra- 

 tensis worries its slain enemies ; F. sanguinea 

 never does so. The Amazon Ant is, perhaps, the 

 bravest of all. If a single individual finds herself 

 surrounded by enemies she never attempts to fly, as 

 any other ant would, but transfixes her opponents 

 one after another, springing right and left with 

 great agility, till at length she succumbs, over- 



C 2 



