Insects abroad : being a popular account of foreign insects, their structure, habits, and transformations . ecious load, finally let it go in self-defence, and immediatelyjoin the excursionists on the lower side of the polej going backfoi another leaf. In the eddy before mentioned there was at leasta bushel of leaves which had been blown from their bearers. It is worthy of notice that in their slave-hunting raids the CURIOUS AK MATURE. 435 master Ants always select the pupse of the worker slaves. Theslaves are not always of the same species, for the master Ant,which has been taken as an exampl
Insects abroad : being a popular account of foreign insects, their structure, habits, and transformations . ecious load, finally let it go in self-defence, and immediatelyjoin the excursionists on the lower side of the polej going backfoi another leaf. In the eddy before mentioned there was at leasta bushel of leaves which had been blown from their bearers. It is worthy of notice that in their slave-hunting raids the CURIOUS AK MATURE. 435 master Ants always select the pupse of the worker slaves. Theslaves are not always of the same species, for the master Ant,which has been taken as an example, takes indifferently thepupa of Formica fusca and Formica cunicularia. The very curious nest which is shown below is drawn of itsnatural size, and is the work of an insect called Polyrachistextor, a native of Malacca. The nest looks exactly as if it were made of coarse hair, andis of so open a texture that the inmates may be seen throughthe walls. Although the workers are tolerably common, themales are hardly ever to be seen, and the females are compara-tively rare. The colour of the insect is Fig. 222.—Polyrachis textor.(Black.) There are many species of this genus in different parts of theworld. The generic name Polyrachis signifies many-ridged,and is given to the insects on account of the projections whichappear on various parts of their bodies. Perhaps the mostremarkable species in this respect is Polyrachis bihamata, aninsect which is found both in India and Borneo. The namebihamata signifies double-backed, and is very the upper surface of the thorax are set two hooks, sharplypointed, curved backwards, and sloped almost exactly like thehorns of the chamois. These are long and conspicuous, but arefar surpassed by two other hooks which rise from the centreof the footstalk which connects the abdomen with the thorax. F F 2 436 INSKCTS ABROAD. These hooks are of enormous comparative size, each of them, ifstraightened, being about half as long as the
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1880, booksubjectinsects, bookyear1883
