The Earth Dwellers by Erich Hoyt, Mainstream, Edinburgh and London,
拢15.99, ISBN 1840180870
WORRIED about the growth of global megacorps? Anxious that communications
satellites are in the wrong hands? In despair over the latest human rights
cover-up?
Rest easy. The true rulers of this planet are more cost-effective than any
corporation, are served with better and more subtle communications than any
media mogul, and are far more ruthless than any MI5 or CIA agent. They
补谤别鈥攁苍迟蝉.
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Erich Hoyt makes the case for ant rule in his splendid book The
Earth Dwellers promoting it with charm, fact-filled conviction and
sincerity in a fascinating, multi-layered book which will repay detailed study.
There are as many known ant species (around 9500) as there are types of birds,
he points out. But there similarities end: discover a new bird and it鈥檒l crown a
scientist鈥檚 career. A new ant species鈥攚ho cares? The reason we鈥檙e so
blas茅 is the sheer quantity of the beasts: by weight, ants make up an
estimated 10 per cent of the world鈥檚 animals, distributed between about 10
trillion colonies. As a group, ants are so diverse that myrmecology forms its
own entomological subdiscipline.
But this book is far more than a natural history of the ant. Hoyt鈥檚 scope is
broad enough to include a fascinating and telling portrait of one of the world鈥檚
greatest living biologists and ant expert par excellence: Harvard鈥檚 Edward
Wilson.
From many perspectives the book is just as much about Wilson as it is about
the six-legged subjects of his passionate curiosity. Hoyt avoids hagiography,
giving us an honest, and often quite funny, account of fieldwork and scientific
endeavour. So there is also much about the way science progresses, the often
serendipitous nature of scientific discovery and revealing insight into the
history and birth pangs of sociobiology.
Hoyt beautifully describes the days and fates of individuals and colonies.
His poignant descriptions of bullet ant soldiers deprived of purpose and colony
by a hungry anteater and of the floating odyssey of a log full of fire ants are
great pieces of natural history writing. There are also delightful visits to
some of the world鈥檚 oddest ants鈥攁nts with jaws for stripping the skins
from minuscule millipedes, slothful ants that cover themselves in grime and wait
for prey to come by, and a splendid section on the birds, beetles and
butterflies that accompany army ants.
He also lavishes skill and care on the life histories of leafcutter, army and
Aztec ants, skilfully comparing and contrasting their lifestyles in ways that
only someone who has absorbed and fully digested the scientific literature can
do. His description of the mating flight of the Atta ants touches on the poetic
and is some of the finest natural history writing I鈥檝e read.
And he tackles the serious stuff, too. At the heart of all his ant tales lies
the concept of the ant as superorganism. However, this turn-of-the-century
concept is brought up to date and given subtle new sociobiological twists.
Anyone expecting a complete coverage of ant biology, however, will be
disappointed. Hoyt鈥檚 action is played out against the background of the
tropical rainforest. Temperate species are mentioned only to provide contrast
for the baroque exuberance of equatorial antdom. With an excellent bibliography,
glossary and even a list of societies for the conservation and study of insects,
this is clearly an ideal way to spend those Christmas book tokens. By spring,
you鈥檒l be out following the ants, a confirmed myrmecophile.