THE ISTHMUS 0F v PANAMA. 85 



war on the colored race, and make slaves of them, 

 and those seen upon pieces of leaves, being conveyed 

 away, were probably captured subjects taken after an 

 engagement. The white ants of this country corres- 

 pond very nearly with the termits of Africa, de- 

 scribed by Smeathman ; they are called here comi- 

 jens ; and if they once get engaged upon a piece of 

 timber, they seldom leave it until it is rendered 

 worthless by their ravages. An exceedingly minute 

 red, and also a black ant, is found very troublesome 

 here. They build a covered way upon the inner 

 walls of a building, and establish their colony in the 

 upper part of the house, and thus you often find 

 them neighbors in your domicils, and probably bed- 

 fellows. They are evidently omniverous, being 

 readily attracted by anything sweet, and also ex- 

 hibit a bad taste in attacking dead animals. A 

 beautiful bird I had obtained and laid away for a 

 short time, was immediately covered with them, and 

 in a few hours it was stripped of the small feathers 

 and down, which were scattered for several inches 

 around it ; from whence they came I could not dis- 

 cover, but I was careful that they did not return 

 the same way, for having destroyed my specimen. 



They are indefatigable in their determination to 

 pursue any course upon which they have started. 

 For more than a week I caused the progress of a 

 community that attempted to build a passage way 

 through my room, to be interrupted daily, but each 

 succeeding night it was rebuilt. 



In contemplating these wonderful little creatures, 



