CHAP. XI. HISTORICAL ACCOUNT OF THE SANGUINE ANTS.

The Sanguine Ants present us compound ant-hills of a different kind. From their analogy to the Legionary Ants, they will be found to corroborate the preceding facts, and will still elucidate this subject, by the contrast of their conduct with that of the Legionaries, who pass from a state of combat to a state of ease.

They owe the name they bear to the colour of the head and thorax: the abdomen is ash-coloured and slightly bronzed; the feet of a blood-red. These ants are larger than the Legionaries, whom they resemble only in manners. In the general form of the body they have a greater similarity to Fallow Ants, than to those of any other species.

If I attribute the discovery of the Amazons entirely to chance, I owe the knowledge I have acquired of the manners and customs of the species now under consideration to observation alone.

In examining, one day, the interior of their nest, with the view of observing its arrangement, I noticed Ash-coloured mingled with the Sanguine Ants; they were, however, much less numerous than in Legionary ant-hills. The same intimacy appeared to exist between them and the Sanguine Ants, as between the auxiliaries and Amazons in mixed colonies. There is no difficulty in verifying this remark, since these ant-hills are more common than those of the Legionaries; they are also more within view, the Sanguine Ants coming to the surface of their nest more frequently than the mason ants of any other species. These habitations are, for the most part, situated near hedges which have a southern aspect. The earth of which they are composed, is mixed up with fragments of leaves, stalks of plants, moss, and little stones, which form a species of mortar difficult to break. This composition of the ant-hill, and its varied form, would have soon convinced me it was not the sole work of the Ash-coloured or Negro Ants, even had I not seen the Sanguine Ants, like them, occupied in going out during the rain, and profiting by it, in giving greater extent and elevation to their abode.

The Sanguine then take a share in the labours of the Negro Ant; they go out also, at times, in search of pucerons, but this duty principally devolves upon the auxiliaries; and upon them also the office rests, on their leaving the ant-hill in the morning, of re-opening the several doors that lead to it; for in this species, particular care is taken to close every evening, all the avenues, by blocking them up with whatever materials they find proper for the purpose.

One of the ordinary occupations of the Sanguine Ants, is the going in chase of certain little ants, which constitute their food. They never go out alone; they assemble in little troops, lie in ambuscade near the ant-hill, wait until some unwary inhabitant quits it, and then dart forth and secure their prey. The insects they meet on their road experience a similar fate, whenever they fall in their power.

In the Sanguine, as in other mixed ant-hills, we find neither males nor females belonging to the auxiliaries. The females of the Sanguine tribe are conspicuous for their varied colour; they have the head and thorax of a brilliant red, inclining to scarlet; the abdomen brown, the feet of a dark red. The males are black, with the exception of their feet, which are yellow; they closely resemble the males of the Ash-coloured Ants, but have a larger body; they leave their habitation at the same time as the females, accompanied, like those of the Legionary Ants, by a double cortége. There are so many points in which these ants agree, that I was led to suspect they procure the Negro Ants, much in the same way as the Legionaries. I watched their movements from day to day, and was, at length, a witness to several of their expeditions, which differ, in many respects, from those described in the preceding chapter. The following will convey a just idea of their tactics.

On the 15th July, at ten in the morning, a small division of the Sanguine Ants was dispatched from the garrison, and arrived in quick march, near a nest of Negro Ants, situated twenty paces distant, around which they took their station. The inhabitants, on perceiving these strangers, rushed forth in a body to attack them, and led back several prisoners. The Sanguine Ants made no further advance; they appeared to be waiting for some reinforcement. From time to time, little companies of these insects came from the garrison to strengthen the brigade. They now advanced a little nearer, and seemed more willing to run the risk of a general engagement; but in proportion as they approached the Negro dwelling, the more solicitous did they seem to dispatch couriers to the garrison, who arriving in great haste produced considerable alarm, when another division was immediately appointed to join the army. The Sanguine Ants, although thus reinforced, evinced little or no eagerness for combat, and only alarmed the Ash-coloured Ants by their presence. The latter took up a position in front of their nest of about two feet square, where nearly their whole force was assembled to await the enemy.

Frequent skirmishes take place all around the camp, the besieged always attacking the besiegers. The Negro Ants, judging from their number, announce a vigorous resistance; but distrusting their own strength, they look to the safety of the little ones confided to their care, and in this respect show us one of the most singular traits of prudence of which the history of insects can furnish an example. Even long before success is in any way dubious, they bring the pupæ from the subterranean chambers, and heap them up on the side of their nest, opposed to that where the Sanguine army is stationed, in order to carry them off with the greater readiness should the fate of arms be against them. Their young females escape on the same side. The danger becomes more imminent; the Sanguine Ants, sufficiently reinforced, throw themselves in the midst of the Negroes, attack them on all points, and arrive to the very gates of their city. The latter, after a brisk resistance, renounce its defence, seize upon the pupæ deposited on the outside, and convey them to a place of safety.⁠[1] The Sanguine Ants pursue, and endeavour to steal from them their treasure. The whole body of Negro Ants are in flight; some few pass through the enemy’s rank, and at the hazard of their lives, enter once more their habitation, and expeditiously carry off the larvæ, that would otherwise remain devoted to pillage. The Sanguine Ants descend into the interior, take possession of the avenues, and appear to establish themselves in the devastated city. Little bands of troops continually pour in from the garrison, and begin taking away the remainder of the larvæ and pupæ, establishing an uninterrupted chain from one ant-hill to the other: thus the day passes and night comes on, before they have transported all their booty. A considerable number of Sanguine Ants still remain in the Negro residence, and on the following morning, at break of day, recommence the transfer of the rest of its contents. When they have taken away all the pupæ and larvæ, they then carry each other to the garrison, a few only remaining behind.

But I perceive some ants moving in a different direction; their number increases; a new resolution has doubtless been taken by these truly warlike insects; a considerable recruiting takes place on the compound ant-hill, in favour of the pillaged city: and in this they at length establish their residence. Every thing is transported thither with the greatest promptitude; pupæ and larvæ, males and females, auxiliaries and Amazons; indeed, every thing the garrison contains, is removed to the habitation acquired by conquest; and the Sanguine Ants renounce for ever their natal abode. They establish themselves on the spot, and in place of the Negro Ants, and from thence undertake new incursions.

I was a witness to several such scenes, but shall content myself with describing one only. I established a Sanguine compound ant-hill in a glazed apparatus, such as that described in the preceding chapter. This I one day placed at a little distance from a Negro dwelling, which soon became the object of a regular siege. After the Sanguine Ants had driven away its inhabitants, and conveyed to their glazed habitation or ruche, a part of the pupæ, they came to a sudden decision of changing their domicile, and in a few hours removed the whole of its contents, and established themselves with their auxiliaries in the enemy’s habitation. They do not, however, change their abode on each invasion of a Negro ant-hill; but it is of rare occurrence if they quit not in the course of the year the one they occupy.

One of the principal features of the wars levied upon Ash-coloured Ants, seems to consist in exciting fear; and so effectual does this prove, that the Negro Ants on no occasion return to their besieged capital, even when the oppressors have retired to their own garrison; they, perhaps, well know they could never remain long in safety, and would be continually liable to the attacks of their unwelcome visitors. This new species of Amazon, almost invariably follows the same route; hence, it happens, that on the least signal, they know what direction they are to take. They sometimes go a hundred and fifty paces distance, in search of a Negro habitation, and their attacks are always made by small divisions; which, as before stated, succeed and assist each other by means of couriers, evidently sent off for that purpose to the garrison.

The invasions of the Sanguine Ants, although so destructive to the peace of their enemies, are yet, happily, less frequent than those of the Legionaries. They pillage only five or six ant-hills in the course of a summer; and the time appropriated to this object, is much more limited; for they must, in the period of one month, bring in all the pupæ they may want. The Sanguine Ants, endowed with a considerable share of activity, are content with a much less number of slaves or domestics than the Rufescent Ants. The pupæ, purloined by the Sanguine Ants, are developed some time in August: and at that period we find in their nest a greater number of auxiliaries. The Sanguine Ants could scarcely do without them; occupied continually in the chase, and now and then called upon to go forth in an entire body, to the assistance of their compatriots, they would be obliged to leave their little slaves at home unattended; moreover, the Negro Ants are better qualified than they to take care of the larvæ; to them, therefore, is entrusted this important duty.

When the Sanguine Ants change their domicile, they take especial care to convey with them their auxiliaries; for whom, when their dwelling is attacked by other ants, they evince the strongest affection. I have seen the Sanguine, when besieged by the Fallow Ants, carry off, in haste, to the subterranean apartments their auxiliaries; when the latter, on being left, seemed to fulfil the intention of their protectors, by closing and barricading with care all the avenues, making use of such materials as were immediately within reach.

I shall now give an instance of their prudence and foresight, upon which I slightly touched in the chapter on war. In case of disaster, they always take care to provide a retreat, and whilst one party is engaged in defending the colony, another party bear away the Negro Ants or auxiliaries, who immediately begin constructing a new dwelling, at a considerable distance from the scene of combat.

We have noticed, among Rufescent Ants, two species of auxiliaries—Ash-coloured and Mining Ants. The latter are also highly useful to the Sanguine Ants, who attack their habitations in the same way, and much under the same circumstances as the nests inhabited by Negro Ants. But what is highly worthy of remark is, that there should exist ant-hills composed of three different species of ants—the Sanguine, the Ash-coloured, and the Mining Ant. This has been fully confirmed by my having observed an army of Sanguine Ants form into two divisions, when the one attacked a Mining and the other a Negro ant-hill.

I shall now bring these observations to a close by stating a fact, which fully demonstrates the influence of habit upon the natural disposition of ants. I placed, in a box, a few pupæ of the Sanguine and Rufescent Ant, under the guard of some Ash-coloured labourers. These pupæ became adult ants, and although Amazons, lived together in great amity under the same roof, thus corroborating the facts formerly mentioned.

The history of Amazon Ants and their auxiliaries still proves, that if education can efface the hatred existing between different species, and consequently enemies, it effects no change in their instinct and character, since the Amazons and their slaves, brought up with the same care, and under the management of the same nurses, live in the mixed ant-hill under very different laws.

My readers are, perhaps, inclined to believe, that I have been led aside by a love of the marvellous, and that, to give more interest to my narrative, I have added something, by way of embellishment, to the facts I have observed. But the more I am attracted by the wonderful display of nature, the less am I inclined to alter it by any mélange of the imagination.

I have endeavoured to cast aside every illusion, prejudice, or ambition of saying any thing new, prepossessions in favour of cursory observations, love of systems, &c. holding to that disposition, which I may term neutral; ready to admit every fact of whatever nature it be, provided it be confirmed by close observation.

If the facts adduced afford ample proof that ants are endowed with higher faculties than we have hitherto granted them, we must attribute it to the subject itself; hence the necessity under which I have laboured, of employing many terms and comparisons, that, on a first glance, appear rather bold, although founded on the close connection between the human race and the insect living in society.

Among those I have taken to witness the discovery of mixed or compound ant-hills, I may mention the learned professor Jurine.⁠[2] This gentleman had the kindness to identify their existence, by examining, separately their contents.

To this honourable testimony I shall add but one more—Nature herself! who is ready to answer every doubt, every objection; it is easy to interrogate her: I have put my reader in the way, by describing my means of observation, and I dare assure naturalists, who will deliver themselves over to this study, they will meet a full recompense for the trouble and time they devote to it by the inexhaustible pleasure of discovering new truths.