Year: 1859

during my residence In Trinidad, observed an
uncommon number of chasseur ants crawling
about the floor of the room They did not
crawl upon my person, but it was surrounded
by them. Shortly after this, the walls of the
room became covered by them, and next, they
began to take possession of the tables and
chairs. | now thought it necessary to take re-
fuge in an adjoining room only separated by q
few ascending steps from the one we occupied
and this was not accomplished without great
care and generalship .or had we trodden up
on one we should have been summarily punish
ed. There were several ants on the step of the
stairs, bat they were not near so numerous as
in the room We had left but the upper room
presented singular spectacle not only were
the floor and walls covered like the other room
but the roof was covered also.


The open rafters of West Indian house, at
times afford shelter to numerous tribe of in
sects, more particularly the cockroach but
now their destruction was inevitable. The
chasseur ants, as if trained for battle, ascend
ing in regular, thick files to the rafters, and
threw down the cockroaches to their comrades
on the floor who, as regularly marched off with
the dead bodies of cockroaches, dragging them
away by their united efforts with amazing ra-
pidty. Either the cockroaches were stung to
death on the rafter, or else the fall killed them
The ants never stopped to devour their prey
but conveyed it all to their store-house The
windward windows of the room were glass, and
battle now ehsued between the ants and lack
spaniards, on the paneS of glass The jack
spaniard may be called the wasp of the West
Indies it is twice as large as British wasp
aud its sting is in proportion more painful. 1t
builds its nest in trees and old houses, and
sometimes in the rafters of room The lack
spaniards were not quite such easy prey, for
they used their wings, which not one cockrOach
had attempted. Two jack spaniards, hotly pur-
sued on the window, alighted on the dress of
one of my children. In an almost inconceva-
ble short time, a party of ants crawed npon
her frock, surrounded and covered the jack
spaniardS, and crawled again to the floor, drag
ging off their prey, and doing the child no harm
From this room | went into an adjoining bed
chamber and dressing-room, and found them
equally in the possession of the chasSeurs |
opened large military chest of linens, which
had been much infested for was determined
to take every advantage OF such able hunters {;
| found the ants already inside; | suppose
that they must have got in at some opening of
the hinges. pulled out the linens on the floor
and with them hundreds of cockroaches not
one Of which escaped.


We now left the honSe, and went to the
chamber, built at little distance but these
also were in the same state. | next proceeded
to open o store room at the other end of the
house. for place of retreat, but to get the key
| had TO return to the under room, where the
battle was now more hot than ever the ants
had commenced an attack upon the rats and
mice, and strange as it may appear they were
not match for their apparently insignificant
foes They surrounded them as they had the
insect tribe, covered them over, and dragged
them off, with a celebrity and union of strength
that no one who has not watched such scene
can comprehend | did not see one mouse or
rat escape, and | am sure saw score car.
ried off in a very short period. think it was
about ten when | first observed the ants and
about twelve the battle was formidable soon
after one o'clock the greatest strife commenced
with the rats and mice, and about three the
houses were cleared. In quarter of an hour
more the ants began to decamp, and soon not
one was to be seen within doors Sketches of
tie Vest IndteS