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In about two hours, all the nests of the formicae were rifled. He frequently saw these little creatures engaged apparently in play, in the neighbourhood of their homes. Some were walking slowly about, others were brushing their antennae with their fore-feet; but the drollest sight was to see them cleaning one another.
In about two hours, all the nests of Formicae were rifled, though not completely, of their contents, and I turned towards the army of Ecitons, which were carrying away the mutilated remains.
It was curious to see them crowding around the orifices of the mines, some assisting their comrades to lift out the bodies of the Formicae, and others tearing them in pieces, on account of their weight being too great for a single Eciton a number of carriers seizing each a fragment, and carrying it off down the slope.
Say you devote your life to some special division of the Formicae?" "The what?" "Formicae. The name is plural. It embraces all the different species of ants." "Why, there's only about three species of ants altogether; and there's nothing to learn about them except that they make different kinds of hills, and give different kinds of bites. That sort of study would about suit you.
They were excavating mines to get at the nest of a larger species of ant of the genus Formica. Some were rushing into the passages, others were seen assisting their comrades to lift out the bodies of the formicae, while others were tearing them in pieces their weight being too great for that of a single eciton. A number of carriers then seized each a fragment and carried it down the slope.
On digging into the earth with a small trowel near the entrances of the mines, I found the nests of the Formicae, with grubs and cocoons, which the Ecitons were thus invading, at a depth of about eight inches from the surface.
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