"

Apart from the interest attached to nests of this description, no examples of which had been, as far as I am aware, obtained by any naturalist, their beauty of colouring is so remarkable, as to render them objects of general admiration. If, too, as I apprehend must have been the case, the workers belonging to the colony of V. vulgaris mistook their neighbours' house for their own, the entrances being so near together, it is rather extraordinary that those belonging to the other species should not have made a similar mistake. They appeared, however, not to have done so, or if they did, the mistake must have been rectified as often as it occurred, for no work of theirs was to be found in the nest of V. vulgaris."

Before closing the history of the wasps, I may mention that the two species, Vespa germanica and Vespa vulgaris are so similar to each other in shape and colour, that an unpractised eye cannot readily discern the distinction between them. Specimens of both these wasps are now before me, and when placed side by side the difference is clearly evident. The yellow colour predominates in the former insect, and the dark bands of the abdomen are much narrower. In the female Vespa germanica, there are three black spots on the basal margin of the first segment of the abdomen.

IN Mr. Bates's valuable work on the natural history of the Amazons, there is an interesting account of the proceedings of certain ants belonging to the genus Eciton, and which are popularly classed together under the name of FORAGING ANTS. These insects have often been confounded with the Saüba or parasol ant, which has already been described, although they belong to different groups and have different habits. The native name for them is Tauóca. There are many species belonging to this genus, and I shall therefore restrict myself to those which seem to have the most interesting habits, giving at the same time a general sketch of their character. I regret that, as in so many other cases, the lack of popular names forces me to employ the scientific titles by which the insects are known to naturalists.

Although in the Ecitons there are the three classes of males, females, and neuters, these neuters are not divided into two distinct sets as in the termites, but are found in regular gradations of size. The real Foraging Ant is Eciton drepanophora, and it

is this insect which is so annoying and so useful to house builders. The ants sally forth in vast columns, at least a hundred yards in length, though not of very great width. On the outside of the column are the officers, which are continually running backwards and forwards, as if to see that their own portions of the column are proceeding rightly. The proportion of officers to workers is about five per cent., or one officer to twenty workers, and they are extremely conspicuous on the march, their great white heads nodding up and down as they run along.

One of the large workers is now before me, and a most formidable insect it looks. Its head is round, smooth, and very large, and is armed with a pair of enormous forceps, curved almost as sharply as the horns of the chamois, and very sharp at the points. Their length is so great, that if straightened and placed end to end, they would be longer than the head and body together. They are beset with minute hairs, which, when viewed under the microscope, are seen to be stiff bristles, arranged in regular rings round the mandibles. The thorax and abdomen are but slender, and the limbs are long, giving evidence of great activity. In the

dried specimen, the colour of the insect is yellowish-brown, becoming paler on the head, but when the creature is alive, the head is nearly white. The eyes are very minute, looking like little round dots on the side of the head, and being so extremely small, that they can scarcely be perceived without the aid of a magnifying-glass. The half-inch power of the microscope shows that they are oval and convex, but as they are set in little pits or depressions, they do not project beyond the head. The hexagonal compound lenses, which are generally found in insects, are not visible, and the eye bears a great resemblance to that of the spider.

The difference in dimensions of the workers is very remarkable. The specimen which I have just described, measures a little under half an inch in length, exclusive of the limbs, while another specimen is barely half that length, and in general appearance much resembles the familiar ant, or emmet of our gardens.

The presence of these insects may be always known by the numbers of pittas, or ant-thrushes, which feed much upon them, and which are sure to accompany a column of Foraging Ants on the march. The ant-thrushes are odd, short-tailed birds, with stout bodies, and a remarkably long hind claw. Some of this species are decorated with colours of wonderful brilliancy, glittering with blue, green, copper-red, and purple, and having a peculiar silken gloss. Others are soberly clad in simple brown and white, and such are the birds which usually accompany the Foraging Ants on their march.

As soon as the experienced inhabitants of tropical America see the ant-thrushes, they rejoice in the coming deliverance, and welcome the approaching army. The fact is, that in those countries insect life swarms as luxuriously as the vegetation, and there are many insects which, however useful in their own place, are apt to get into houses, and there multiply to such an extent, that they become a real plague, and nearly drive the inhabitants out of their own homes. They are bad enough by day, but at night they issue from the nooks and crevices where they lay concealed, and make their presence too painfully

known.

There are insects that bite, and insects that suck, and insects that scratch, and insects that sting, and many are re

markable for giving out a most horrible odour. Some of them are cased in armour as hard as crab-shells, and will endure almost any amount of violence, while some are as round, as plump, as thin-skinned, and as juicy as over-ripe gooseberries, and collapse almost with a touch. There are great flying insects. which always make for the light, and unless it is defended by glass, will either put it out, or will singe their wings and spin about on the table in a manner that is by no means agreeable. The smaller insects get into the inkstand and fill it with their tiny carcases, while others run over the paper and smear every letter as it is made. There are great centipedes, which are legitimate cause of dread, being armed with poison fangs. scarcely less venomous than those of the viper. There are always plenty of scorpions; while the chief army is composed of cockroaches, of dimensions, appetite, and odour such as we can hardly conceive in this favoured land. As to the lizards, snakes, and other reptiles, they are so common as almost to escape attention.

For a time these usurpers reign supreme. Now and then a few dozen are destroyed in a raid, or a person of sanguine temperament amuses his leisure hours, and improves his marksmanship, by picking off the more prominent intruders with a saloon pistol; but the vacancies are soon filled up, and no permanent benefit is obtained. But when the Foraging Ants make their appearance, the case is altered, for there is nothing that withstands their assault. As soon as the pittas are seen approaching, the inhabitants throw open every box and drawer in the house, so as to allow the ants access into every crevice, and then retire from the premises.

Presently the vanguard of the column approaches, a few scouts precede the general body, and seem to inspect the premises, and ascertain whether they are worth a search. The long column then pours in, and is soon dispersed over the house. The scene that then ensues is described as most singular. The ants penetrate into the corners, peer into each crevice, and speedily haul out any unfortunate creature that is lurking therein. Great cockroaches are dragged unwillingly away, being pulled in front by four or five ants, and pushed from behind by as many more. The rats and mice speedily succumb to the onslaught of their myriad foes, the snakes and lizards fare no

better, and even the formidable weapons of the scorpion and centipede are overcome by their pertinacious foes.

In a wonderfully short time, the Foraging Ants have completed their work, the scene of turmoil gradually ceases, the i scattered parties again form into line, and the procession moves out of the house, carrying its spoils in triumph. The raid is most complete, and when the inhabitants return to the house, they find every intruder gone, and to their great comfort are enabled to move about without treading on some unpleasant creature, and to put on their shoes without previously knocking them against the floor for the purpose of shaking out the scorpions and similar visitors.

In the illustration a column of Foraging Ants is seen winding its way through a wood. Every one who is accustomed to the country takes particular care not to cross one of these columns. The Foraging Ants are tetchy creatures, and not having the least notion of fear, are terrible enemies even to human beings. If a man should happen to cross a column, the ants immediately dash at him, running up his legs, biting fiercely with their powerful jaws, and injecting poison into the wound. The only plan of action in such a case, is, to run away at top speed until the main body are too far off to renew the attack, and then to destroy the ants that are already in action. This is no easy task, for the fierce little insects drive their hooked mandibles so deeply into the flesh that they are generally removed piecemeal, the head retaining its hold after the body has been pulled away, and the mandibles clasped so tightly that they must be pinched from the head and detached separately.

There seems to be scarcely a creature which these insects will not attack, and they will even go out of their way to fall upon the nests of the large and formidable wasps of that country. For the thousand stings the ants care not a jot, but tear away the substance of their nest with their powerful jaws, penetrate into the interior, break down the cells, and drag out the helpless young. Should they meet an adult wasp, they fall upon it, and cut it to pieces in a moment.

Another species, Eciton prædator, does not form long and narrow columns, but marches in a broad and solid phalanx. It is but a little creature, no bigger than the common red ant of England. It is, however, of a brighter red colour, and when a