476 



ANIMALS OF EGA 



in Termites ; but I found no proof of this, at least in the 

 present species, as they always seemed to be rather less 

 pugnacious than the worker-minors, and their distorted 

 jaws disabled them from fastening on a plane surface like 

 the skin of an attacking animal. I am inclined, however, 

 to think that they may act, in a less direct way, as pro- 

 tectors of the community, namely, as indigestible morsels 

 to the flocks of ant-thrushes which follow the marching 

 columns of these Ecitons, and are the most formidable 

 enemies of the species. It is possible that the hooked 

 and twisted jaws of the large-headed class may be effective 

 weapons of annoyance when in the gizzards or stomachs 

 of these birds, but I unfortunately omitted to ascertain 

 whether this was really the fact. 



The life of these Ecitons is not all work, for I frequently 

 saw them very leisurely employed in a way that looked 

 like recreation. When this happened, the place was al- 

 ways a sunny nook in the forest. The main column of 

 the army and the branch columns, at these times, were 

 in their ordinary relative positions ; but, instead of 

 pressing forward eagerly, and plundering right and left, 

 they seemed to have been all smitten with a sudden fit 

 of laziness. Some were walking slowly about, others 

 were brushing their antennae with their fore-feet ; but 

 the drollest sight was their cleaning one another. Here 

 and there an ant was seen stretching forth first one leg 

 and then another, to be brushed or washed by one or 

 more of its comrades, who performed the task by passing 

 the limb between the jaws and the tongue, finishing by 

 giving the antennae a friendly wipe. It was a curious 

 spectacle, and one well calculated to increase one's amaze- 

 ment at the similarity between the instinctive actions of 

 ants and the acts of rational beings, a similarity which 

 must have been brought about by two different processes 

 of development of the primary qualities of mind. The 

 actions of these ants looked like simple indulgence in idle 

 amusement. Have these little creatures, then, an excess 

 of energy beyond what is required for labours absolutely 

 necessary to the welfare of their species, and do they 

 thus expend it in mere sportiveness, like young lambs 

 or kittens, or in idle whims like rational beings ? It 

 is probable that these hours of relaxation and cleaning 

 may be indispensable to the effective performance of 

 their harder labours, but whilst looking at them, the 



