THE LIFE OF AN ANT 243 
meant to assault and capture that ancient stronghold of King 
Roderick. 
Every reader of the works of Lord Avebury knows some- 
thing of the wars of conquest and domestic and civil economy 
of the ant family ; how these little creatures conduct their affairs, 
how their armies are organised and move in compact ranks, 
with leaders, outriders and scouts, van-guard and rear-guard, as 
described above ; and how they advance over long distances, 
overcoming innumerable and well-nigh insurmountable obstacles, 
and rush straight upon the camp of the enemy, which they often 
capture by sheer force of assault ; but not before many of the 
combatants on both sides have perished. Bates, our great 
naturalist, during his life spent on the Amazon, learned many 
fascinating facts about the ways and the wars of the South 
American ants. They take prisoners, they make slaves, and 
they even keep domestic cattle — consisting of other ants, or 
different species of insects. Our own English ants keep “cows,” 
that is to say, they retain certain insects called aphides, from 
whom they obtain a sweet juice by stroking the hinder part of 
their abdomen with their fore legs. 
It is quite possible to see some of these things for one’s self 
without going to Spain or America. In fact, anybody who goes 
out into the country, or who has the good fortune to live there, 
can make delightful studies of the ways and habits of ants, 
instead of passing by their beautifully constructed dwellings, or 
crushing them thoughtlessly under foot. 
How well the writer remembers a certain heath-land, where 
the ant-hills rose like green and verdant isles out of the purple 
sea of heather ; where he spent many a pleasant hour watching 
the several colonies at work ! He was only a youngster, but the 
scene impressed him strongly, for he had just been translating 
an account from one of the Latin classics, of a town compared to 
a hive of busy bees, and as he watched these vast, yet miniature 
cities rising, or already risen all about him, he could not help 
being struck with the fact that these toiling atoms were more 
persevering, and showed more intelligence and foresight than he 
had ever seen in human beings. It is really wonderful to behold 
the co-operation exhibited by these little creatures, measuring 
barely a third of an inch in length. 
And how often since his school-days has he watched the same 
process going on and noticed how great a resemblance to human 
affairs existed therein ! Not only do you see the workers toiling 
over mighty mountains of knocked-up turf, and passing through 
the deep gorges of cart-wheel ruts, frantically, yet steadily, 
bringing their load along with them, but you also perceive the 
shrinkers who, bringing up their loads from the inner galleries 
of the wonderful city, do not bother to carry them well over the 
ridge of the entrance, but drop them at the mouth of the 
opening, when some grains and pebbles roll back into the cavity. 
And then the foreman of the working gang is seen to rush up 
