362 
ANIMALS OF EGA. 
Chap. Y. 
ing forth first one leg and then another, to be brushed 
or washed by one or more of its comrades, who per- 
formed 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 amazement 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 develop- 
ment of the primary qualities of mind. The actions of 
these ants looked like simple indulgence in idle amuse- 
ment. 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 
conclusion that the ants were engaged merely in play 
was irresistible. 
Eciton prcedato7\ — This is a small dark-reddish spe- 
cies, very similar to the common red stinging-ant of 
England. It differs from all other Ecitons in its habit 
of hunting, not in columns, but in dense phalanxes 
consisting of myriads of individuals, and was first met 
with at Ega, where it is very common. Nothing in 
insect movements is more striking than the rapid march 
. of these large and compact bodies. Wherever they pass 
all the rest of the animal world is thrown into a state 
of alarm. They stream along the ground and climb to 
