44 ANTS. Book I. 
ceeded in performing a task apparently quite beyond their 
capability. They carried a dead scorpion of full-grown 
size up the wall of our room from the floor to the ceiling, 
and thence along the under surface of a beam to a con- 
siderable distance, where at last they brought it safely into 
their nest in the interior of the wood. During the latter 
part of this achievement they had to bear the whole weight 
of the scorpion together with their own in their inverted 
position, and in this way to move along the beam. The 
order was so perfect that not the slightest deviation from 
an absolute symmetry and equality of distances and 
arrangement in the manner of taking hold of the body of 
the scorpion and in the movement of the little army of 
workmen was observable. No corps of engineers could be 
drilled to a more absolute perfection in the performance 
of a mechanical task. According to a rough calculation 
there must have been from five to six hundred of these 
intelligent little creatures at work. Besides those engaged 
in this transport no others were seen. A single one was 
sitting on the sting at the end of the scorpion's tail, as if 
placed there to overlook and direct the whole movement ; 
all the rest, without any exception, were at work. The 
whole operation may have lasted about an hour. 
At another time I witnessed the transmigration of a 
whole state or commonwealth of ants, from a hole in the 
wall, across our verandah, into another hole in the opposite 
wall. Two facts struck my attention in this case. The 
first was that the marching army of these insects, all 
moving in one direction, consisted of individuals of such a 
difference in size and shape, that to consider them as 
belonging to one species seemed very difficult, and the idea 
of a commonwealth of different insect nationalities was 
strongly suggested ; the second that some little beetles of 
