y other slave-making
ant, it would have been hopeless to speculate how so wonderful an
instinct could have been perfected.

Another species, Formica sanguinea, was likewise first discovered by P.
Huber to be a slave-making ant. This species is found in the southern
parts of England, and its habits have been attended to by Mr. F. Smith,
of the British Museum, to whom I am much indebted for information on
this and other subjects. Although fully trusting to the statements of
Huber and Mr. Smith, I tried to approach the subject in a sceptical
frame of mind, as any one may well be excused for doubting the existence
of so extraordinary an instinct as that of making slaves. Hence, I
will give the observations which I made in some little detail. I opened
fourteen nests of F. sanguinea, and found a few slaves in all. Males and
fertile females of the slave-species (F. fusca) are found only in their
own proper communities, and have never been observed in the nests of F.
sanguinea. The slaves are black and not above half the size of their
red masters, so that the contrast in their appearance is great. When the
nest is slightly disturbed, the slaves occasionally come out, and like
their masters are much agitated and defend the nest: when the nest is
much disturbed, and the larvae and pupae are exposed, the slaves work
energetically together with their masters in carrying them away to a
place of safety. Hence, it is clear that the slaves feel quite at home.
During the months of June and July, on three successive years, I watched
for many hours several nests in Surrey and Sussex, and never saw a slave
either leave or enter a nest. As, during these months, the slaves are
very few in number, I thought that they might behave differently when
more numerous; but Mr. Smith informs me that he has watched the nests at
various hours during May, June and August, both in Surrey and Hampshire,
and has never seen the slaves, though present in large numbers in
August, either leave or enter the nest. Hence, he considers them as
strictly household slaves. The masters, on the other hand, may be
constantly seen bringing in materials for the nest, and food of all
kinds. During the year 1860, however, in the month of July, I came
across a community with an unusually large stock of slaves, and I
observed a few slaves mingled with their masters leaving the nest, and
marching along the same road to a tall Scotch-fir tree, twenty-five
yards distant, which th