so that from their birth to their death they live, think, and act only for the offspring of another. The instincts of this insect are, indisputably, more extraordinary than those of any other in the whole range of animated nature. The real habits and proceedings of these insects are so extraordinary, that they would stagger our belief, if not confirmed by such observers as Huber and Latreille. Their nests contain three kinds of individuals -males; females, which have wings; and neuters, which are destitute of these appendages.

"In the warm days which occur from the end of July to the beginning of September, and sometimes later, the habitations of the various species of ants may be seen swarming with winged insects; these are the males and females, preparing to quit for ever the scene of their nativity and education. Every thing is in motion; and the silver wings, contrasted with the jet bodies which compose the animated mass, add a degree of splendor to the interesting scene. The bustle increases, till at length the males rise, as it were, by general impulse into the air, and the females accompany them: the whole swarm alternately rises and falls with a slow movement, to the height of about ten feet; the males flying obliquely with a rapid zigzag motion, and the females, though following the general movement of the column, appearing suspended in the air, like balloons; and having their heads turned toward the wind.

Sometimes the swarm of a whole district unite their infinite myriads, and seen at a distance, says Mr. Gliditsch, produce an effect very much resembling an aurora borealis, when from the border of the cloud appear several columns of flame and vapor, attended

* A species of ant, called by Linnæus the formica sacchivora, appeared in such torrents in the island of Granada, and destroyed the sugar-canes so completely by undermining their roots, that a reward of £20,000 was offered to any one who should discover an effectual mode of destroying them. They descended from the hills in a flood, and filled not only the plantation, but the roads for miles. Domestic quadrupeds perished and rats, mice, and reptiles, were devoured by them, and even birds were so harassed when they alighted, as quickly to die. Nothing opposed their march: they blindly rushed into the streams and were drowned in such countless myriads, that

with a variety of luminous rays and lines, resembling forked lightning confined in its brilliancy. The noise emitted by the countless myriads of these creatures is not so loud as the hum of a single wasp, and the slightest breath scatters them abroad.

Attachment to the female is not the only instance of affection evinced by these insects; they, as well as bees, appear to recognize each other even after a long absence. Huber, having taken an ant-hill from the woods, placed it in his glass hive; finding that he had a superabundance of ants, he allowed some of them to escape, and these formed a nest in his garden. Those which were in the hive he carried into his study, and observed their habits for four months, after which period he placed the hive in the garden within fifteen paces of the natural nest. Immediately, the ants established in it recognised their former companions, with whom they had held no communication for four months; they caressed them with their antennæ, and taking them up in their mandibles, led them to their own nest. Presently others arrived in crowds and carried off the fugitives in a similar manner; and venturing into the artificial ant-hill, in a few days caused such a desertion that it was wholly depopulated.

The above anecdote seems to prove that ants have a language of dumb signs, of which the organs are the antennæ. As yet, the proofs of this antennal language have been drawn from the affections of these creatures, but more striking ones are derived from their passions. For there are few animals in which the passions assume a more deep and threatning aspect; they unite them in myriads for the purposes of war and extermination.

It would perhaps be too much to say, that the warfare which takes place among ants calls forth bright traits of character, and occasions the exercise of virtues,

the aggregation of their tiny carcases dammed up the waters, and formed a bridge for others to pass over. The large fires lighted in their paths were speedily extinguished by the rush of their masses, and had not Providence swept them away in the torrents of a te ible hurricane in 1780, every thing must have fallen before them Introduction to Etomology, vol. i. p. 185,

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which under no other combination of circumstances could be exhibited. Yet Latreille, after he had cut off the antennæ of an ant, saw another approach it as if compassionating the loss of a member as dear to the owner as the pupil of our eye to us, and after caressing the sufferer, pour into the wound a drop of a liquid from its own mouth.

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The causes which give rise to their wars are no doubt, as important to them as those which urge human monarchs to devastate, and human heroes to struggle for victory. The ants will dispute furiously about a few square feet of dust and such an object is of equal magnitude and importance to them, as a river, or a mountain, to an emperor. Sometimes a straw, the carcass of a worm, a single grain of wheat, will cause myriads to engage in deadly strife, and leave the miserable inches of surrounding earth thickly strewed with the pigmy dead. Sometimes a nobler aim will cause them to defend to the uttermost their homes and their young, from the marauding ambition of a neighboring hill. "Alas!" says Bacon, "the earth with men upon it will not seem much other than an ant-hill, where some ants carry corn, and some carry their young, and some go empty, and all to and fro around a little heap of dust."

If we wish to behold," says P. Huber, " regular armies wage war in all its forms, we must visit the forests in which the fallow ants establish their dominion over every insect within their territory: we shall there see populous and rival cities and regular roads, diverging from the ant-hill, like so many radii from a centre, and frequented by an immense number of combatants; wars between hordes of the same species, for they are naturally enemies, and jealous of any encroachment upon the territory which surrounds their capital. It is in these forests I have witnessed the inhabitants of two large ant-hills engaged in a spirited combat; two empires could not have brought into the field a more numerous or more determined body of combatants.

"Both armies met half-way from their respective habitations, and the battle commenced; thousands of

ants took their stations upon the highest ground, and fought in pairs, keeping firm hold of their antagonists by their mandibles; while a considerable number were engaged in the attack, others were leading away prisoners; the latter made several ineffectual endeavors to escape, as if aware that upon reaching the camp a cruel death awaited them. The field of battle occupied a space of about three feet square: a penetrating odour exhaled on all sides; and numbers of dead ants were seen covered with venom. The ants composing groups and chains laid hold of each other's legs and pincers, and dragged their antagonists on the ground; these groups formed successively. The fight usually commenced between two ants, who, seizing each other by the mandibles, raised themselves upon their hind-legs, to allow of their bringing their abdomen forward, and spurting their venom upon their adversary: they were frequently so wedged together, that they fell on their sides, and fought a long time in that situation in the dust; shortly afterwards they raised themselves, when each began dragging its adversary; but when their force happened to be equal, the wrestlers remained immoveable, and fixed each other to the ground, until a. third came to decide the contest. It more commonly happened that both ants received assistance at the same time, when the whole four, keeping firm hold of a foot or antenna, made ineffectual attempts to win the battle. In this way they sometimes formed groups of six, eight, or ten, firmly locked all together; the group was only broken, when several warriors from the same republic advanced at the same time, and compelled the enchained insects to let go their hold, and then the single combats were renewed: on the approach of night, each party retired gradually to their own city.

"On the following day, before dawn, the ants return to the field of battle-the groups again formed-the carnage recommenced with greater fury than on the preceding evening, and the scene of combat occupied a space of six feet by two: the event remained for a long time doubtful; about midday the contending armies had removed to the distance of a dozen feet from

one of their cities, whence, I conclude, that some ground had been gained: the ants fought so desperately, that they did not even perceive my presence, and though I remained close to the armies, not a single combatant climbed up my legs.

The ordinary operations of the two cities were not suspended, and in all the immediate vicinity of the anthills order and peace prevailed; on that side on which the battle raged alone were seen crowds of these insects running to and fro, some to join the combatants, and some to escort the prisoners. This war terminated without any disastrous results to either of the two republics long-continued rains shortened its duration, and each band of warriors ceased to frequent the road which led to the enemy's camp."

The astonishing part of this singular detail is, the instinct which enables each ant to know its own party. Of the same species, alike in form, size, faculties, and arms, it yet rarely happens that two of the same side attack each other; and when this takes place, says Huber, "those which are the objects of this temporary error caress their companions with their antennæ, and .readily appease their anger." We can comprehend the existence of an instinct which shall, at all times, cause an animal to build its habitation after a distinct fashion, but a spontaneous combination of faculties seems to take place in the conduct of these wars. The insects march, countermarch, take prisoners, distinguish each other, retreat; in short, do all that man would do under similar circumstances. Nothing like the fatality of instinct is perceptible. These wars were accidental, might never have happened, and perhaps only happen in one community out of ten. Neither are they conducted alike in all cases, but are obviously modified according to the various circumstances of time and place. These very fallow ants, when they attack_the sanguine ants, for example, adopt a system of ambuscade and stratagem; and the sanguine ants, if too hardly pressed, send off a courier to their ant-hill for farther assistance, and immediately, says Huber, a considera