94 LETTERS ON ENTOMOLOGY. 
herds that cover our plains, and the body of a 
fly or beetle, or a cargo of straws, and bits of 
stick, are as important; to them as a fleet to our 
seamen. These wars are usually between those 
of a different species, but sometimes between 
those of the same, when so near as to incommode 
each other : among the red ants, combats some- 
times take place in the same nest. In these battles 
the neuters or workers are the only warriors, the 
males and females taking the wiser, if not more 
honourable part, of flight. 
The wars of the red ant appear to be only be- 
tween a small number of the citizens, and the 
object of the popular tumult seems to be to get 
rid of some useless member of the community, 
or perhaps some criminal who will not work. 
Gould says that many of them may be seen sur- 
rounding one of their own species, and pulling 
it to pieces. This unfortunate ant is generally 
feeble and languid ; but if from illness, it does 
not say much for their humanity. He once saw 
one of these ants dragged out of the nest with- 
out its head, but still alive and able to crawl. 
This poor ant might be fancied a criminal con- 
demned by a court of justice to suffer the sen- 
tence of the law. Mouffet bears testimony to a 
similar fact. 
