lying between these two ant-hills, and occu- 

 pying a space of two feet in breadth. Both 

 armies met at half-way from their respective 

 habitations, and there the battle commenced. 

 Thousands of ants took their station upon 

 the highest ground, and fought in pairs, 

 keeping firm hold of their antagonists by 

 their mandibles : a considerable number 

 were engaged in the attack, and leading away 

 prisoners. The latter made several ineffec- 

 tual efforts to eeetpe, as if aware that, upon 

 their arrival at the camp, they would expe- 

 rience a cruel death. The scene of war- 

 fare occupied a space of about three feet 

 square ; a penetrating odor exhaled from all 

 sides ; numbers of dead ants were seen 

 covered with venom. The ants, composing 

 groups and chains, laid hold of each others' 

 legs and pincers, and dragged their antago- 

 nists on the ground. These groups formed 

 successively. The fight usually commenced 

 between two ants, who seized each other by 

 the mandibles, and raised themselves upon 

 their hind-legs, to allow of their bringing 

 their abdomen forward, and spurting the 

 venom upon their adversary. They were 

 often so closely wedged together, that they 

 fell upon their sides, and fought a long time 

 in that situation in the dust, till a third came 

 to decide the contest. It more commonly 

 happened, that both ants received assistance 

 at the same time; when the whole four, 

 keeping firm hold of a foot or antennae, made 

 ineffectual attempts to win the battle. In 

 this way they sometimes formed groups of 

 six, eight, or ten firmly locked together, the 

 group being only broken when several 

 warriors from the same republic advanced 

 at the same time, and compelled the en- 

 chained insects to let go their hold, and then 

 the single combats were renewed ; on the 

 approach of night, each party retired gradu- 

 ally to their own city. 



" Next morning, before dawn, the comba- 

 tants returned to the field of battle, the 

 groups again formed, the carnage com- 

 menced with greater fury than on the preced- 

 ing evening, and the scene of combat occu- 

 pied a space of six feet in length by two in 

 breadth. The event remained for a long 

 time doubtful ; but about mid-day the con- 

 tending armies had removed to the distance 

 of a dozen feet from one of the cities, whence 

 I conclude some ground had been gained. 

 The ants fought so desperately that they did 

 not even perceive my presence ; for though 

 I remained close to the combatants, not one 

 of them attempted to climb my legs, seem- 

 ing to be wholly absorbed in the object of 

 finding an enemy to wrestle with. During 

 this furious warfare the common operations 

 of the two colonies were not suspended, for 

 the paths, which led to a distance in the 

 forest, were as much thronged as in time of 



peace, and all around the ant-hill order and 

 tranquillity prevailed. On that side alone 

 where the battle raged were seen crowds of 

 the colonists running to and fro, some to join 

 the army, and some to escort the prisoners. 

 This war terminated without any disastrous 

 results to the two republics. In fact, it ap- 

 peared that its duration was shortened by 

 long-continued rains, which compelled each 

 of the belligerents to keep within their walls, 

 and the warriors ceased to frequent the road 

 which led to the camp of the enemy." 



The different proceedings in the warfare 

 of the various ants, and remarkable facts 

 which have been noted regarding them — such 

 as one species seeming to make slaves of 

 another, and the vanquished apparently 

 offering tribute, and otherwise seeking to 

 appease the victors, are so marvellous, that 

 were we not told them on the authority of 

 careful scientific observers, we should be in- 

 clined to regard them as the mere creations 

 of fancy. Even as it is, however, it may be 

 suspected that in some cases the interpreta- 

 tion of such phenomena, and the motives 

 assigned to the little actors, have been too 

 hastily assumed to correspond to those with 

 which the observers were most familiar in 

 their own race. Yet our observation of the 

 remarkable habits and instincts of the bees, 

 fully prepares us to acknowledge the strict 

 consistency of the following remarks on 

 these combatants by the ingenious author of 

 " insect Miscellanies." After describing 

 some of the combats between different species 

 of ants, he remarks : — " Not the least won- 

 derful circumstance connected with these 

 insect battles is the instinct which enables 

 each ant to know its own party, more par- 

 ticularly when the combatants on both sides 

 are of the same species, and thousands of 

 individuals mingle in the strife, who appear, 

 at least to our senses, to be precisely alike 

 in shape, size, and color. Sometimes, indeed, 

 according to Huber, they do attack those of 

 their own party ; but on recognising them, 

 immediately relax their hold ; while it often 

 happens that the individuals who have been 

 the sufferers from this temporary error, caress 

 their companions, for the purpose, it would 

 appear, of appeasing their anger. 



" The warfare, however, is conducted in 

 various manners, according to the genius of 

 the species engaged in it ; and when a party 

 of the wood-ant (F. rufa) attacks a party of 

 the sanguine ant (F. sanguinea), the ma- 

 noeuvring reminds us strongly of our own 

 battles. The sanguine ants, in this case, go 

 and await the enemy in little troops at some 

 distance from the nest, advancing in a body 

 without separating, and seize all those of 

 their enemies who venture too far from the 

 camp. ' The two parties,' says Huber, 

 ' place themselves in ambuscade, and sud- 



