Washington telegraph., 1849-12-05

SLAVERY AMONG INsEors. The follows
ing singular facts are from "Newman'A
History of Insects" They show thar
even among the creeping things, mieht
subverts right, and the strong tyrannixa
over The weak: '.The most rslnarkabI.
fact connected with the history Of ants.
| is the propensity possessed by certain
species TO kidnap the workers of other
species. and compel them to labor for
the benefit of the community. thus using
them completely as slaves; and, as far as
we yet know, the kidnappers are red or
pale-colored ants, and the slaves like rba
captured natives of Africa, are of q il,
black. The time for taking slaves ex.
tends over period of about ten weeka
and never commences until the male and
female are about emerging from the
pupa state; and thus the ruthless ma raj nd.
ers never interfere with the continuation
OF the species. This instinct seem.
specially provided; for, were the slave
ants created for no other end than 10 f;li
the station OF slavery, to which they ap.
pear TO be doomed, still, even that Office
must fail. were the attacks to be made
OF their nest before the winged myriads
have departed or are departing, charged
with the duty of continuing their kind.
When the red ants are about to salIv
.Y on maraudlng expedition. tbsv
"u Iuou'e " see ertain the exact position
IN wi'lcn colon, of negroes may be
found. These scouts,havinp discovered
the object of their search. r.turn to The
nest aud report their success. Sbor,Iv
afterwards The army of red ants aches
forth, headed by vanguard, whic. "a
perpetuaily changed; the individunIs
which constitute it. when they have ad.
vanced li!tle before the main BODY, halt
falling into the rear, aud being replaced
by Others.
This vanguard consists Of eight or ten
ants only. When they have arrived
near the negro COLONY they disperse,
wande ring through the herbage and hunt
ing about, as aware of the propinquity
OF the obIec: of their search, Yet ignorant
OF its exact position. At last they dis.
cover the settlement; and the foremost of
the invaders. rushing ilnpetuousIy to the
attack, are met, graprled with, aud fre.
quently killed by the negroes OH guard.
The alarm is quickly communicated to
the interior of the hest; the negroes sally
forth by thousands; and the red ants rush.
ing TO the rescue, desperate conflict
ensues, which. however. always termi-
mates IN the defeat of the negroes, who
retire to the ilnerlnost recesses of their
habitatlons. Now follows the scene of
-pilIage. The red ants, with their power.
tul mandihles. tear open the sides of the
negro ant-hils. and rush into the heart
of the citadel. In few minutes each
invader emerges, carrying i'll its mouth
the pupe OF a worker negro, which it has
obtained III spite OF the vigilance and
valor of its natura. guardians. The red
ants return IN perfect order to their nest,
bearing with them their living burdens.
On reaching their nest, the pupp appears
to ae treated precisely as their own; and
the workers, when they emerge, perform
the various duties of the community with
the greatest energy and apparent good
VIII. Iney repair the nest excavate
passages, collect food, feed the larva,
take the pupD into the sunshine, and
perform every Office which the welfare
OF the COLONY seems to require. They
conduct themselves entirely as il fulfilling
their original destination"