180 ANTS AND ANT LIFE. 



the stomach, and in spite of this burden move easily and 

 rapidly. On both sides of the train, at about 10mm. dis- 

 tance from each other, stronger ants are to be seen, dis- 

 tinguishable from the others by their foxy color and very 

 thick heads with gigantic mandibles. These " thickheads " 

 play the same role in the ant-state for which they are cast 

 in cultured communities. They look after the order of the 

 march, and allow none to turn either to the right or left. 

 The least confusion in the regularity of the march makes 

 them turn round and put things straight again. While the 

 procession of the brown workers streams on unceasingly with 

 a swarming motion, the " officers," as the natives call these 

 thickheads, run constantly backwards and forwards, ready 

 to take the command on meeting any difficulty. The crossing 

 of streams by these creatures is the most interesting point. 

 If the watercourse be narrow, the thickheads soon find trees, 

 the branches of which meet on the bank on either side, and 

 after a short halt the columns set themselves in motion over 

 these bridges, rearranging themselves in the narrow train 

 with marvellous quickness on reaching the further side. 

 But if no natural bridge be available for the passage, they 

 travel along the bank of the river until they arrive at a 

 flat sandy shore. Each ant now seizes a bit of dry wood, 

 pulls it into the water and mounts thereupon. The hinder 

 rows push the front ones even further out, holding on to the 

 wood with their feet and to their comrades with their jaws. 

 In a short time the water is covered with ants, and when 

 the raft has grown too large to be held together by the 

 small creatures' strength, a part breaks itself off and begins 

 the journey across, while the ants left on the bank busily 

 pull their bits of wood into the water and work at enlarging 

 the ferry-boat until it again breaks. This is repeated as 

 long as an ant remains on shore. I had often heard described 

 this method of crossing rivers, but in the year 1859 I had 

 the opportunity of seeing it for myself at the junction of 



the large River Gaspar (?) which falls into the (?) 



.... I never found the visiting ants seize provisions, 

 although they have often driven me out of my home. But 

 everything which flies and crawls is destined for their prey, 

 and a house visited by them is thoroughly cleansed from all 

 vermin. If they change their marching order for hunting 

 order in the forest the wood becomes lively. All things, 



