154 ANTS AND ANT LIFE. 



happily with each other, giving each other honey, etc. 

 Even when Forel set them at liberty they remained together 

 and all betook themselves to their new dwelling. And then 

 occurred the following noteworthy episode. A little san- 

 guine ant wanted to take hold of an Amazon and carry it 

 off. The carried ant, during the transit, generally rolls 

 itself round the head of its bearer, so as to lighten its weight 

 as much as possible. But as the Amazon did not or would 

 not perform this duty, the sanguine ant contented itself with 

 seizing one leg and marching off towards the new nest. As 

 the Amazon resisted, but did not try to bite, the affair pro- 

 ceeded slowly. After a while the sanguine ant let its com- 

 rade go in order to reconnoitre. Meanwhile the Amazon 

 ran uneasily hither and thither. A chance passer-by, a 

 rufa, or hill ant, belonging to the community saw this, and 

 tried on its part to carry the Amazon on. But the latter 

 still resisted, and as the hill ants are rather clumsy it failed 

 in the attempt. The sanguine ant now came back and 

 touched the rufa several times with its feelers. The com- 

 munication must have been satisfactory, for the latter let go 

 and resigned the Amazon to its original bearer, which now 

 pulled it along to the new nest. 



This artificial friendship between distinct and usually 

 hostile species plainly shows how much education and the 

 first impressions of childhood and youth may change and 

 influence even inherited character and the pretended " in- 

 stinct." 



In their method of fighting, the sanguinece show special 

 refinement and circumspection. When they have to do with 

 an enemy equal to them in strength they never attack it in 

 front, but always try to assail its flanks. They generally 

 march in small divisions, which continually send out scouts 

 and spies, partly to bring up the rear and partly to find out 

 the movements and the weak side of the enemy. When 

 they have to do with a regular army of the large F. pra- 

 tensis, they try to terrify it by surprises. They send several 

 divisions to the flanks and rear of the foe, and then rush 

 with incredible impetuosity into the midst of the hostile 

 army, but retreat the moment they find that the resistance 

 is too strong. They know how to unite courage and pru- 

 dence, and understand, just like men, how to " fall back 

 to the rear " when it is necessary, as military phraseology 



