THE ARMY ANTS’ HOME TOWN 71 
which drives so many creatures to the same hom- 
ing, at the approach of death. 
Even in their helplessness they were wonder- 
ful. To see a big black-headed worker strug- 
gling up a post with five short stumps and only 
one good hind leg, was a lesson in achieving the 
impossible. I. have never seen even a suspicion 
of aid given to any cripple, no matter how slight 
or how complete the disability; but frequently 
a strange thing occurred, which I have often 
noticed but can never explain. One army ant 
would carry another, perhaps of its own size 
and caste, just as if it were a bit of dead prov- 
ender; and I always wondered if cannibalism 
was to be added to their habits. I would cap- 
ture both, and the minute they were in the vial, 
the dead ant would come to life, and with equal 
vigor and fury both would rush about their 
prison, seeking to escape, becoming indistinguish- 
able in the twinkling of an eye. 
Very rarely an ant stopped and attempted to 
clean another which had become partly disabled 
through an accumulation of gummy sap or other 
encumbering substance. But when a leg or other 
organ was broken or missing, the odor of the 
ant-blood seemed to arouse only suspicion and 
