before mentioned, there was at least a bushel of these dae 

38 AN AFTERNOON IN NICARAGUA. 


























and stopped to discover if possible what made them. Some 7 
were wider than others, and on one of these I soon discov- ^. 
ered a foraging party of ants. They were of two species, 7 
one being a rather small black ant, with weak jaws or nip- 
pers, and the other’ nearly twice that size, each bearing a < 
formidable pair of prolonged mandibles or jaws, and as near 
as I could see there were no two with jaws of exactly the 
same size or shape. The small ones were evidently slaves. 
They were marched between two rows of scouts, and if a — 
slave attempted to pass the line, he was speedily seized and | 
put back, not very gently, into his place. I watched their 
motions with a great deal of interest. The “soldiers,” after 
searching till satisfied for a rich succulent leaf, bit it off and 
gave it to a slave, who immediately marched off with it in a 
contrary direction to the main body. Following the train 
for a rod or two, I came to the brook just where it had made 
an abrupt bend, with an eddy in it. Here the banks were 
rather high, a moderately brisk sea-breeze was coming from - 
the shore, and just here a small tree about two inches in 
diameter had fallen across the brook. On this pole were 
myriads of ants going in different directions. Those above, - 
each with a leaf in his mouth, were crossing to the wooded - 
side. Those on the underside were empty-handed (or 
mouthed), and were coming from the woods. Here I no- r 
ticed a curious thing. The leaf, being larger by far than its” 
bearer, acted as a sort of sail to catch the wind, and I saw - 
many an unfortunate slave-ant, after struggling with all its | 
might to save its precious load, finally Jet it go in self- 
defence, and immediately join the excursionists on the lower 
side of the pole, going back for another leaf. In the eddy 
which had been blown away from their bearers.* 
"The red light of the setting sun warned me to be stirring 
. homeward; and, picking up a few Apple-snails (Ampullariæ), : 
2j det alked 1 iis s vict own. POPE for a moment to to 



