THE WOOD ANT. 125 



body pushed and dragged along until it was finally 

 pulled into the recesses of the nest. I have often tried 

 the experiment of putting a large fly in their path, and 

 always found their mode of procedure to be the same. 

 They cluster round the fallen insect like flies round a 

 lump of sugar, they seize upon its legs, they pull off 

 its wings in a moment, and run away with the severed 

 organs, four or five others following each fortunate 

 captor, just like a brood of chickens after the one that 

 has been lucky enough to pick up a piece of bread. 

 They then attack the wingless body with ruthless 

 violence, biting at it like a hungry cat at a slice of meat, 

 or perhaps more like a herd of wolves at their prey. 

 They soon deprive it of life, haul it to the nest, drag 

 it up the side, and literally tumble it into one of the 

 holes. 



The interior of the wood-ant's nest, and the mode 

 by which a view of it was obtained by the insertion oi 

 a sheet of plate-glass, are described in my ' Homes 

 Without Hands.' 



