13 



They are not afraid to climb upon the hand if one stands still, but they 

 appear to do this out of curiosity, and not to fight; and, as already 

 stated, they never attempt to sting human beings unless actually held 

 or injured. The fear that they may interfere with the cultivation 

 of the cotton or with the harvesting of the crop is entirely ground- 

 less. It would be much more nearly correct to compare them with a 

 harmless insect- eating animal like the toad than with the vegetable- 

 feeding, stinging ants, like the large red ant so common about Victoria. 

 This latter species has a vicious temper, seeks actively to sting the 

 intruder, and is able to inflict a serious, painful wound, accompanied 

 by nausea, headache, fever, and even temporary paral3^sis. Fortu- 

 nately, the cotton ant is able, by its superior dexterity, to defend 

 itself, and is always victorious in a struggle with the harmful Texan 

 species, the extermination of which would be almost as welcome at 

 Victoria as the destruction of the boll weevil itself. 



The Indians believe that the keleps are able to combat also the 

 dreaded teken or leaf -cutting ants which are as serious pests in Guate- 

 mala as in southern Texas. It is scarcely to be supposed, perhaps, 

 that they can drive out well-established communities of the leaf-cutters, 

 but they ma}^ prevent the growth of new colonies by killing the 

 workers as fast as they appear above ground. At least there are no 

 nests of leaf-cutters in the areas occupied by the keleps. 



The fact that the ants were fed on sugar during the journey from 

 Guatemala to Texas has suggested to some planters that the insects 

 may escape from the cotton plants and attack cane. This apprehen- 

 sion is also quite unnecessary. The moistened sugar was used merel}^ 

 as the most readily obtainable substitute for the nectar secreted for 

 the ants by the cotton plant. The ant's jaws are especially adapted 

 for catching the weevils or other insects, but are quite unsuited for 

 gnawing into sugar cane or other vegetable tissues. They are too 

 long, blunt, and weak to be effective for biting, and are used only for 

 seizing, carrying, and pulling apart their prey. They do not crush 

 nor chew their food, and are apparently unable to eat anything except 

 liquids or substances soft enough to be lapped up, as it were, by their 

 tongues. While the insects are feeding, their jaws are usually opened 

 wide as though to get them out of the way. The strong front legs 

 are used in much the same manner as the squirrel's paws, to assist the 

 jaws in grasping and turning the prey, though they serve also for 

 walking. 



None of the numerous varieties of cotton growing at Victoria has 

 nectaries equal in size to those of the Guatemalan cotton protected by 

 the ants, but the quantity of liquid food available in fields of such 

 varieties as King and Parker. may prove sufficient, the average size of 

 cotton plants in Texas being much larger than in Guatemala. More 



