ANTS —GENERAL INTELLIGENCE. 
133 
I was also in this way able to see for myself much that I 
otherwise could not have seen. Thus I was able to watch the 
operation of removing roots which had pierced through their 
galleries, belonging to seedling plants growing on the surface, 
and which was performed by two ants, one pulling at the free 
end of the root, and the other gnawing at its fibres where tho 
strain was greatest, until at length it gave way. 
And again, — 
Two ants sometimes combine their efforts, when one stations 
itself near the base of the peduncle, and gnaws it at the point of 
greatest tension, while the other hauls upon and twists it. . . . 
I have occasionally seen ants engaged in cutting the capsules 
of certain plants, drop them, and allow their companions below 
to carry them away. 
Lastly, the statements of these three observers taken 
together serve to render credible the following quotation 
from Binglev , 1 who says that in Captain Cook’s expedition 
in New South Wales ants were seen by Sir Joseph Banks 
and others— 
As green as a leaf, which live upon trees and build their 
nests of various sizes, between that of a man’s head and his fist. 
These nests are of a very curious structure : they are formed by 
bending down several of the leaves, each of which is as broad 
as a man’s hand, and gluing the points of them together so as 
to form a purse. The viscous matter used for this purpose is 
an animal juice. . . . Their method of bending down leaves we 
had no opportunity to observe ; but we saw thousands uniting 
all their strength to hold them in this position, while other busy 
multitudes were employed within, in applying this gluten, that 
was to prevent their returning back. To satisfy ourselves that 
the leaves were bent and held down by the efforts of these dimi- 
nutive artificers, we disturbed them in their work ; and as soon 
as they were driven from their station, the leaves on which they 
were employed sprang up with a force much greater than we 
could have thought them able to conquer by any combination 
of their strength. 
This remarkable fact also seems to be corroborated 
by the following independent observation of Sir E« 
Tennent 
1 Animal Biography, ‘ Ants/ 
