1 88 
A NATURALIST ON THE PROWL. 
the fact that my feelings towards it have never been 
friendly. One day I saw it in another light. I will 
quote an account of the affair from the Journal of the 
Bombay Natural History Society. I can vouch for the 
accuracy of the account, though modesty forbids me to 
tell who wrote it : — 
“One evening I found that a countless multitude of 
Red Ants had collected about two trees close to my 
tent and were making a thoroughfare of one of the ropes. 
I thought it best to discourage this, so I got some kerosene 
oil, the best antidote I know for insect pests of every 
kind, and dipping a feather into it, began to anoint the 
rope, thinking in my simplicity that they would not like 
to cross the oil and would be obliged to find another 
road. There was a perfect storm of indignation. They 
rushed together from both sides and threw themselves 
on the oiled feather in the spirit of Marcus Curtius. They 
died, of course, but others came on in scores, panting for 
the same glorious death, and I had to give up my idea 
of dislodging them by kerosene. I determined to try 
tobacco, for I had always supposed that man was the 
only animal which could endure the smell of that weed. 
I lighted a cheroot and steadily blew the smoke where 
