s
immediately given in the threatened ant-hill; the approach is
announced of a band of slavers, and they all rush out, some to face
their terrible adversaries while the others take up the nymphs and
eggs in their mandibles and flee in all directions to save as many as
possible of their offspring. The small ants endeavour with their
burdens to climb to the summits of blades of grass; those who succeed
are in safety with the eggs that they carry, for the Amazons do not
climb. In the meanwhile a fierce battle is going on in the
neighbourhood of the nest between the _Formica fusca_, who have made a
sortie, and the slavers. It is an unequal struggle, because the latter
are armed with formidable jaws, strong and sharp, borne by a large
head with powerful muscles. The defenders of the nest are seized and
placed _hors de combat_. They flee discouraged, and the assailants
force the entry of the dwelling. They then take possession of the
larvae and nymphs and come out again holding them in their mandibles.
The _Polyergus_ thus laden flee as fast as possible, escaping as well
as they can from the bereaved parents, who endeavour to save their
offspring. The band returns to the nest by the same road that it came,
although not the shortest, for these insects seem to lack the sense of
direction and are guided by smell, so that they have to retrace all
the windings of the road. The march is slackened by the weight of the
booty (Fig. 7), and each travels according to his fancy, without
following the regular order of the departure. At last the ants regain
their household. The slaves, warned of the return of the victorious
army, rush out to meet it and relieve the arrivals of their burdens,
some in their zeal even carrying at the same time both the master and
his burden. The nymphs transported into the ant-hill are henceforth
cared for by their fellow-slaves; the _Polyergus_ do not trouble
themselves further.

[Illustration: FIG. 7.]

[Illustration: FIG. 8.]

_Wars of the ants._--As sociable as man, the manners of ants present
more than one resemblance to his. Slave-hunting expeditions are among
these; the wars that these insects undertake also resemble human wars.
The causes of the quarrel are of various nature, most often they
result from the close proximity of two ant swarms. The rival colonies
are always meeting in the same regions and seeking the same material;
their mutual rivalry strains their relations. A moment comes when one