COMMUNITY OF BEES IN A HIVE. 17 



ants which actually make slaves of other ants, and, in 

 order to obtain and bring them into captivity, go out 

 on regular slave-making expeditions. 



One day a whole body of these Amazon or slave- 

 making ants was seen making its way, like an army 

 of soldiers, all drawn up in battle array, and without 

 straggling, across some distance of ground, and 

 through a thick hedge, and straight on, until at 

 last they reached the nest which they were intent 

 on robbing. Then for a few minutes there was a 

 fierce battle, but the Amazons soon got the best of 

 it, and, forcing their way into the nest, were presently 

 seen marching home, but each ant now carrying in 

 triumph, as the spoils of victory, one of those little 

 white things, often called ants' eggs (which however 

 are really insects in a more advanced state), and 

 which in their captors' nest soon would become live 

 ants, and very useful slaves. And so you see instinct 

 taught them to go out with a common purpose, to 

 work together, and to assist one another. 



I can tell you, however, a much more pleasant 

 story given by the same author. I may say that in 

 order to observe their habits, he kept a considerable 

 number of nests of ants in his own house in little 

 cases or boxes, made partly of glass, so that he could 

 see all they did. 



On one occasion, in one of his nests, there was 

 a poor ant which, on account of being deformed, 

 ' never appeared able to leave the nest.' However, 

 one day, he says, ' I found her wandering about in an 

 aimless sort of manner, and apparently not knowing 

 her way at all. After a while she fell in with some 



C 



