518 



Brazilian Ants. 



neath their bark, in almost all decayed plants and animal matters; they 

 penetrate into houses, pave their way into the villages ; even the 

 capital of South America is visited by innumerable swarms of these 

 destroying animals. 



It is chiefly in the great table land which occupies a considerable 

 part of the midland country of Brazils, and which after the language 

 of the country bears the name of Campos Geraes, where this family 

 has its head- quarters. This otherwise fiat country assumes some- 

 times a hilly appearance, which is chiefly owing to the indefatigable 

 activity of these animals.* Numerous hillocks which I cannot compare 

 better than to those hills found now and then on our own fields, and 

 which are known by the name of ant hills, extending every where 

 before the traveller's view, and interrupt his walk. But extraordinary 

 as the multiplicity of these animals is, it is trifling compared with the 

 means nature employs in keeping them within proper limits. Here 

 is the native country of the typical species of Myothera, or Birds 

 whose exclusive maintenance these animals afford. Here are found 

 the gigantic species of mammalia Myrmiephaga or Anteaters, and the 

 Dasypus, which in every meal devours millions of these small animals. 



It is easily perceived, that these animals on account of their ex- 

 traordinary multiplicity, in connexion with their peculiar activity, 

 are destined to play a conspicuous part in nature's great ceconomy. 

 No other family of insects can in this respect be put in comparison 

 with them. Nay, they were seen to play in addition to their own, a 

 part, which has been assigned in Europe to several other insect 

 families. 



As for instance the Carabici which perform no unimportant 

 service in destroying a number of insects ; all these families are 

 limited in tropical America to very few species, and the ants 

 supply their place. f 



* All the hillocks of this kind, which I have had an opportunity in examining, 

 were inhabited by ants and not by termitis ; hence no doubt, most of the fallaci- 

 ous information of travellers, on which the general belief is founded, that they are 

 the production of these animals. 



f The inhabitants of Rio Janeiro have assured me that they, far from regret- 

 ing the presence of ants in their houses, sometimes even introduce them there, 

 in order to secure the dwelling from a much more dreadful enemy the termites. 

 1 must here on this occasion mention an opinion which is generally believed 

 in Brazils, that there exists a peculiar antipathy between these two species of 



