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Brazilian Ants. 



to notice a phenomenon which in Europe is only known from the 

 reports of travellers. I mean the extraordinary destruction they 

 commit on trees in stripping them of their leaves in a very short time. 

 I have always looked upon the traveller's tale on this head as ex- 

 aggerated, until an opportunity of witnessing the circumstance oc- 

 curred to myself. I refer to a species of ant, which has been known 

 a long time under the name of Atta Cephalotes. We daily perceive 

 these ants in the sands of the beach, dragging leaves home to their 

 nest; but as they generally obtain these materials from the thick 

 coppice, one cannot trace their destructiveness home to them in 

 its whole extent. A lucky circumstance, however, having afford- 

 ed me an opportunity of observing their pillage at leisure, I think 

 you will perhaps peruse the account of it with some degree of 

 interest. 



One day while passing a solitary tree, I was astonished at hear- 

 ing in perfectly calm weather, a rustling as of leaves, which fell 

 down in numbers. On looking round, I soon perceived that these 

 leaves came from the tree I had passed. It was of the laurel 

 family, about twelve feet in height, with stiff leathery leaves, which 

 on falling to the ground caused a considerable rustle ; but what ex- 

 cited my astonishment was, that the falling leaves had a perfectly 

 green appearance, and that the tree seemed to be perfectly fresh and 

 sound. I was therefore at a loss to account for the leaves falling, 

 when to my astonishment, I saw an ant sitting on each leaf stem 

 (petiole) working away with all its might in biting it off, in which 

 it always in a short time succeeded, so that the leaf fell to the 

 ground. On looking further into this matter, I found that the root of 

 the tree was completely covered with ants, which were all warmly 

 engaged in reducing the leaves into transportable pieces, and which 

 were immediately conveyed to the nest. A line of these animals car- 

 rying away the pieces of leaves, extended itself already as far as the 

 eye could reach from the foot of the tree across the country. Such a 

 cavalcade presents a curious spectacle ; the pieces of leaves being 

 much larger than the ants, which are consequently almost entirely 

 hid under their load, so that the whole is like an expedition of 

 wandering leaves ; and in less than an hour was this great work 

 completed in my presence. 



