A yard or more around the foot of the
trees the battle was raging, and no
place for the sole of my foot without
crushing the combatants. I found in
every instance, a red ant pitted against
a black ; sometimes two red ones against
one black, In which case the black was
dispatched. For three hours I watched
the conflict; all around me the combat-
ants locked in close embrace, rolling
and tumbling about, never separating
until one was killed, and often the dead
victim had fastened with so firm ahold
on his adversary that it was with the
utmost difficulty that he could free him
self from his death grip. The sun went
down, and the gathering darkness com
pelled me to leave my post of observa
tion, bnt as long as I could see, the con
flict was as fierce as when I first beheld
it. I now picked up several of the war
riors, but so intent were they in their
terrible struggle that my handling did
not divert them In the least- I carried
several pairs into the house, placed
them under a large oval glass (the cov
er of a fernery) on a marble-topped ta
ble, and watched the conflict. I found
I bad ten black and ten red warriors,
not engaged in a general melee, but
each Intent upon killing bis own adver
sary. It -was fully an hour before
the first warrior was killed a red has
at last dispatched bis black antagonist;
and not satisfied with killing him, he
tears his legs from bis body and severs
his antenna;. After convincing him
self that he is really dead, be looks
around at the other warriors which are
still closely locked in their dredlul em
brace, and now he harries from one
couple to another as if to see where bis
services are most needed. He finds a
couple whose struggles are nearly over
a black is fastened with a death-grip
to his adversary's fore-leg. The red
hero soon severs the bead from the
black soldier, and leaves it hanging to
the leg of bis dying comrade. He now
goes to another couple who are still
fiercely contending; he slezes the black
and now all three roll and tumble
about together; but the black is soon
killed, and as in other cases bis man
dibles are locked on bis adversary's
leg. 