80 
ANIMAL INTELLIGENCE. 
closer examination it appeared that though the great mass of 
seed -bearers were travelling towards the upper nest, some few 
were going in the opposite direction and making for the lower. 
Besides this, at intervals, combats might be seen taking place, 
one ant seizing the free end of a seed carried by another, and 
endeavouring to wrench it away, and then frequently, as neither 
would let go, the stronger ant would drag seed and opponent 
towards its nest. At times other ants would interfere and seize 
one of the combatants and endeavour to drag it away, this often 
resulting in terrible mutilations, and especially in the loss of the 
abdomen, which would be torn off while the jaws of the victim 
retained their indomitable bull-dog grip upon the seed. Then 
the victor might be seen dragging away his prize, while its ad- 
versary, though now little more than a head and legs, offered a 
vigorous though of course ineffectual resistance. I frequently 
observed that the ants during these conflicts would endeavour 
to seize one another’s antennae, and that if this were effected, 
the ant thus assaulted would instantly release his hold, whether 
of seed or adversary, and appear utterly discomfited. No doubt 
the antennae are their most sensitive parts, and injuries inflicted 
on these organs cause the greatest pain. 
It was not until I had watched this scene for some days that 
I apprehended its true meaning, and discovered that the ants of 
the upper nest were robbing the granaries of the lower, while 
the latter tried to recover the stolen seeds both by fighting 
for them and by stealing seeds in their turn from the nest 
of their oppressors. The thieves, however, were evidently 
the stronger, and streams of ants laden with seeds arrived 
safely at the upper nest, while close observation showed that 
very few seeds were successfully carried on the reverse journey 
into the lower and plundered nest. 
Thus when I fixed my attention on one of these robbed ants 
surreptitiously making its exit with the seed from the thieves’ 
nest, and having overcome the opposition and dangers met with 
on its way, reaching, after a journey which took six minutes to 
accomplish, the entrance to its own home, I saw that it was 
violently deprived of its burden by a guard of ants stationed there 
apparently for the purpose, one of whom instantly started off 
and carried the seed all the way back again to the upper nest. 
This I saw repeated several times. 
After March 4 I never saw any acts of hostility between 
these nests, though the robbed nest was not abandoned. In 
another case of the same kind, however, where the struggle 
lasted thirty-one days, the robbed nest was at length completely 
