The Parasol Ants.
Now I must tell you about the slave ants and their owners. The chief family of the slave-making ants is called “The Shining,” for its body shines with a gloss like varnish.
The slave-making ants and their slaves are found in many parts of the world. The masters are of a light or red color, with a bright gloss. The slave ants are dark or black.
In nests where slaves are held the masters never do any work. They make war and steal slaves, or slave babies. The slave ants do all the work. If a war rises, they also fight for the hill and their owners.
The army of the slave makers will march to the hill of a tribe of ants which they wish to seize for slaves. They carry off the pupa-cases, where the little new ants are getting legs and wings.
These baby ants are taken to the hill of the owners and brought up with their own young. No slave-ant eggs are laid in a hill, for the queens lay all the eggs, and the queens are not slaves. The slaves are stolen when they are eggs, or larvæ.
The owners seem to be very kind to their little slaves, and as the slaves grow up and fill the hill they seem to do very much as they please.
The slaves build new hills and take their owners to live in the new home. If a mistress ant wishes to wander off her hill, her slaves drag her back. If she does not wish to move to her new home, her slaves carry her off, all the same.
The slave-owning ants walk about their hill in an idle way. If war comes, then they fight bravely.