appendix.] WEST INDIES. 91 
ken open or injured by the violence of the wind, as to ad¬ 
mit the torrents of rain accompanying it. I apprehend 
therefore, that the principal destruction of these ants must 
have been thus effected. 
It must not however be denied, that though nature, for a 
time, may permit a particular species of animal to become 
so disproportionably numerous as to endanger some other 
parts of her works, she herself will, in due time, put a check 
upon the too great increase; and that is often done by an 
increase of some other animal inimical to the former de¬ 
stroyers. In the present case, however, nothing of that 
sort appeared; therefore, when a plain natural cause, obvi¬ 
ous to our senses, occurred, by which we can account for 
the amazing and sudden decrease of those ruinous insects, 
it is unnecessary to recur to other possible causes too mi¬ 
nute for our investigation. 
All I have said on this subject would certainly be of lit¬ 
tle or no consequence, did it not lead to the true method of 
cultivating the sugar-cane on lands infested with those de¬ 
structive insects; in which point of view, however, it be¬ 
comes important. 
If then the above doctrine be just, it follows, that the 
whole of our attention must be turned to the destruction of 
the nests of these ants, and consequently the breeding ants 
with their eggs or young brood. 
In order to effect this, all trees and fences, under the 
roots of which these ants commonly take their residence, 
should first be grubbed out; particularly lime or lemon fen¬ 
ces, which are very common in Grenada, and which generally 
suffered from the ants before the canes appeared in the least 
injured; after which the canes should be stumped out with 
care, and the stools bu nt as soon as possible, together with. 
