142 A NATUBALI8T IN CELEBES ch. vi 



Over the roots and across the dry mud in some places 

 are to be seen long marches of the large red ants, whose 

 vicious bites caused me perhaps more pain and annoyance 

 than the swarms of flies and mosquitoes with which the 

 air is filled. As soon as the tide is out these ants come 

 down from their nests in the trees in thousands, and rapidly 

 scavenger about in all directions for any little fishes and 

 other marine animals that are left helpless, stranded on the 

 mud. 



The mosquitoes are born and bred in the waters of the 

 swamp, but what they actually feed upon in the imago or 

 flying stage, when there are no human beings about, is a 

 mystery to me. It is possible they may obtain a scanty 

 nourishment from the slimy ooze upon the surface of the 

 mud and mangrove roots, but then it is difficult to under- 

 stand the advantage of their piercing mouth parts. It may 

 be that of the millions hatched only a few actually deposit 

 fertile eggs, and those may be the lucky ones who have 

 had a draught of blood of the mammals and birds in the 

 swamps. All that I can say about their feeding is that 

 when we met they seemed to be invariably hungry, and 

 when they fed were never satisfied. 



In many of the pools in the swamps thousands of the 

 swimming, or rather jumping, larvte of the mosquitoes 

 may be seen. I was rather surprised at this, because in 

 my ignorance I thought that none of the gnats and flies 

 could stand sea-water. I was inclined to doubt it at first, 

 and fancied that they must be the larvae of some other 

 creatures ; but there could be no doubt of their nature when 

 I came to examine them more carefully, and I had an 

 opportunity of definitely settling the matter before I left. 

 I had two large tubs near my house, which I filled with 

 sea-water in the hope of keeping in them some animals 

 alive for a while, to study, if possible, their development. 



