LETTERS ON ENTOMOLOGY. 93 
they hold so fast, that they will sooner be torn 
limb from limb than let go their hold ; and after 
their battles the head of a conquered enemy may 
often be seen hanging on the antennae or legs of 
the victor, which he is obliged to wear, however 
troublesome., to the day of his death. Their poison 
bag is furnished with a powerful and venomous 
acid, which is celebrated for its efficacy, and ex- 
hales a strong sulphureous odour. Their courage is 
unconquerable, and often rises into extreme fury. 
If you point your finger at a hill ant, instead of 
running away, it faces about, and that it may 
make the most of itself, stiffens its legs to raise 
its body as high as possible, and thus prepares to 
repel your attack. If you put your finger nearer, 
it opens its jaws to bite. Does not this little 
• creature show more courage than the greatest 
hero of the human race ? Even Achilles himself 
would run away from a finger as much larger than 
himself, in proportion, as ours is larger than the 
ant. You will naturally suppose that so courage- 
ous a people frequently make war on each other, 
which is the case, and I might here invoke the 
muse to sing their battles, with as much reason 
as the poets who celebrate the similar contests 
of man. They fight for territory, for the droves 
of aphides, equally valuable with the flocks and 
