THE DEIVEK ANT 447 



pupae in a third. Ifo provision seems to be laid up within the 

 nest, so that the inhabitants niust depend on their daily excursions 

 for their food. 



When Colonel Sykes brought home the first nest he discovered, 

 he hung it to the tent-pole, preparatory to examining it in the 

 morning. " In the night the men were awakened by repeated 

 punctures and general irritation of the skin, but the darkness 

 prevented them from discovering their tormentors, and they con- 

 tinued to toss and tumble in their beds for some hours in no very 

 complacent state of mind. At last they got up, dressed them- 

 selves, and abandoned the tent; but the evil was rather aggravated 

 than abated, as parts of their persons which had previously 

 escaped had now their share of suffering. At daylight they 

 discovered to their consternation that they were covered with 

 minute ants, which had filled their pantaloons, penetrated the 

 sleeves of their coats and every other part of their habiliments. 

 On inspecting the tent, they found the interior teeming with 

 multitudes of little angiy beings, in busy progress, seeking to 

 resent the outrage which had been committed on the community 

 by the removal of their abode.* 



The insects are extremely small, barely one fifth of an inch in 

 length, and are reddish in colour. 



Perhaps one of the most terrible of insects is that which is 

 appropriately called the Deivee Ant of Western Africa (Anomma 

 arcens). 



This insect is a truly remarkable creature. Although it is to 

 be found in vast numbers, it has never been found in the winged 

 condition, and neither the male nor the female have as yet been 

 discovered. The workers ai'e uniform in colour, but exceedingly 

 variable in size. Their hue is deep brownish black, and their 

 length varies from half an inch to one line, so that the largest 

 workers nearly equal the common earwig, while the smallest are 

 no laiger than the familiar red ant of our gardens. In the 

 British Museum are specimens of the workers, which form a 

 regular gradation of size, &om the largest to the smallest. 



They are called Driver Ants, because they drive before them 

 every living creature. There is not an animal that can withstand 

 the Driver Ants. In their march, they carry destruction before 

 them, and every beast knows instinctively that it must not cross 



