How Animals Work. 



their way along the turf without straying, and their 

 column remained always continuous, in spite of the 

 obstacles which they had to surmount. Very soon 

 they arrived near a nest of ashy-black ants, the dome 

 of which rose among the grass at twenty paces from 

 the hedge. A few ants of this species were at the 

 door of their habitation. As soon as they descried the 

 army which was approaching, they threw themselves on 

 those which were at the head of the cohort. The alarm 

 spread at the same instant in the interior of the nest, 

 and their companions rushed out in crowds from all 

 the subterranean passages. The russet ants, the body 

 of whose army was only two paces distant, hastened 

 to arrive at the foot of the nest ; the whole troop pre- 

 cipitated itself forward at the same time, and knocked 

 the ashy-black ants head over heels, who, after a short 

 but very smart combat, retired to the extremity of the 

 habitation. The russet ants clambered up the sides of 

 the hillock, flocked to the summit, and introduced 

 themselves in great numbers into the first avenues. 

 Other groups worked with their teeth, making a lateral 

 aperture. In this they succeeded, and the rest of the 

 army penetrated through the breach into the besieged 

 city. They did not make a long stay there ; in three 

 or four minutes the russet ants came out again in haste 

 by the same aclits, carrying each one in its mouth a 

 pupa or a larva belonging to the conquered. They 

 again took exactly the same road by which they had 

 come, and followed each other in a straggling manner ; 

 their line was easily to be distinguished on the grass 

 by the appearance which this multitude of white cocoons 

 and larvae, carried by as many russet-coloured ants, 



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