THE ANIMAL KINGDOM. 177 



The slave-making instinct is strongly developed in this 

 gronp. A series of zealous servants is indispensable to 

 their existence, and in order to procure them they act like 

 impudent pirates. 



Observers had for a long time remarked that certain 

 ants carry others in their mouths during their peregrina- 

 tions, but they could not make out for what purpose. It 

 was Huber Avho discovered the mystery. These are so 

 many veritable raids, which the insects cairy out in the 

 interests of their republic — slave-razzias executed by main 

 force. These microscopic filibusters do not go into the 

 markets to sell their captives by auction, but like effeminate 

 sybarites keep them in order to impose all the household 

 work upon them. 



At the head of these daring slave-makers we must put 

 the red ant, or Amazon, the military expeditions of which 

 have been most carefully obsei-ved by the naturalists of our 

 epoch. They are so frequent that one may enjoy the 

 sight of them any fine day during the summer season. 

 Huber says that the excursions of these warrior tribes 

 have only one object, that of carrying off the ants, so to 

 speak, in their swaddling-clothes, from the midst of a 

 laborious people, and converting them into helots who 

 will work for them. 



When the Amazon ant takes the field in order to cap- 

 ture slaves, and especially the miner-ants, of which it 

 generally makes use, it goes about its work in a very 

 orderly way. The excursion always begins when night is 

 drawing on. When they have issued from their abode, 

 the Amazons array themselves in serried columns, and 

 their army takes its way to the ants' nest Avhich they are 

 about to spoliate. In vain do the warriors seek to bar the 

 entrance; in spite of all such efl'orts the others penetrate 



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