166 Mr. Smith's Descriptions 



indurated and ancient Termitarium : up the ascent of this tlie 

 Ecitons were moving in a dense cokimn, like a stream of liquid 

 metal ; many were now assisting in lugging up the bodies of the 

 For7mcce, and the whole disappeared in one of the spacious tubu- 

 lar cavities which always traverse these old Terraitaria from the 

 summit to the base. 



" It would appear, from what I observed, that Eciton feeds its 

 larvae with animal food ; the species of Formicce seized by this 

 species of Eciton has a soft succulent body, and, if not in- 

 tended as food for the larva, for what other purpose are they 

 procured ? probably, like the leaves gathered by Qicodoma, they 

 pass through a process of comminution, before being supplied 

 to the larvae." 



Genus Myrmica. 

 Myrmica scsviss'ima. 



Worher. — Length 9.h lines. Rufo-testaceous; smooth, shining 

 and impunctate ; the head oblong, rounded behind, having a central 

 impressed line on the forehead, which passes forward, dividing 

 into a fork ; the forked lines running to the base of the antennae ; 

 the mandibles short, stout and longitudinally striated ; their inner 

 margins armed with four black teeth ; the scape slender, slightly 

 thickened towards the apex, about the length of the head; the 

 flagellum nine-jointed, the club dilated, formed of the two apical 

 joints. Thorax strangulated between the meso- and metathorax ; 

 the latter unarmed : the legs elongate, thinly sprinkled with erect 

 short pale hairs : abdomen sub-ovate, truncated at the base, the 

 apical half black, or dark rufo-fuscous ; the nodes without spines 

 beneath, the first compressed, its superior margin rounded and 

 elevated a little above the second node, which is globose ; the entire 

 insect very thinly sprinkled with erect pale hairs. 



Worker (minor). — 1| lines. Very closely resembling the larger 

 worker, but not having an impressed line on the forehead ; in 

 other respects they correspond. 



This appears to be one of the most fearful and dreaded of all 

 the visiting ants. We have heard of houses, in this country, being 

 deserted in consequence of their being infested by M. domeslica, 

 certainly an unpleasant inhabitant, but not calculated to strike 

 terror, and to drive every one out of their houses ; such is how- 

 ever the effect of the appearance of M. scevissima. Mr. Bates 

 says, " on the borders of the river Tapajos, this is the much 

 dreaded ant, the terrible scourge of the river Tajjajos. In 1852 



