tall grass for shelter; swallows and martins congregate previously to their departure; young partridges are found among the corn; and poultry moult. The hoary beetle (scarabæus solstitialis) makes its appearance; bees begin to expel and kill drones; and the flying ants quit their nests.

Ants live in large societies, somewhat in the manner of bees or wasps, and are, like them, divided into males, females, and neutrals. This latter class appears to conduct the business of the nest, which is usually placed at a small distance from the surface, in some slight elevation, either prepared by the insects themselves, or previously formed by some other animals, as moles, &c. They feed both on animal and vegetable substances, devouring the smallest kinds of insects, caterpillars, &c. as well as fruits of different kinds. The fondness of ants for animal food is often turned to good account by anatomists. When they wish to obtain the skeleton of any animal too small or delicate to admit of being prepared in the usual way, the animal is disposed in a proper position, in a small box, with perforations in the lid, and deposited in a large ant hill; in consequence, the softer parts are eaten away, and the skeleton remains. Thus, very elegant skeletons of frogs, snakes, &c. may be obtained.

The common or black ant (formica nigra) is a well known inhabitant of our fields and gardens, residing in great numbers between mole-hills and other elevated spots. It is of a brownish black colour, and of a glossy or polished surface. The eggs of this species are deposited early in the spring, and are extremely small, and of a white colour. From these are hatched the larvæ, which are of a thickish form, destitute of legs, and somewhat resemble, in miniature, the maggots of wasps and bees. They are carefully nourished by the neutral or labouring ants, till they are arrived at their full growth, when they inclose themselves in smooth, oval, pale yellow silken webs

U

or cases, in which state they are properly known by the mistaken title of ant-eggs; the real eggs, as before observed, being white, and extremely small. It is generally in the months of June and July that the larvæ thus inclose themselves. The chrysalis, if taken out of its silken case, is of a white colour, and exhibits all the limbs of the future animal in an imperfect or contracted state. During the time of their remaining in chrysalis, the neutral ants attend them with the same care as when in their larve state, frequently shifting their situation', and placing them at greater or smaller elevations, according to the different state of the atmosphere.

About the latter end of this month, or the beginning of August, the males and females may be ob served in the nests: these differ from the neutrals in being furnished with wings, and the female is far larger than the male; the body equalling in size that of the common window fly, and the upper wings being very long and large. At this time of the year, the males and females emigrate in vast numbers, sometimes flying at a considerable height, and sometimes creep❤ ing along the surface. It is not uncommon to see them enter houses at this period, attracted by sweets in particular, either moist or dry. During the winter, this species, like the rest of the European ants, remains in a state of torpor, without laying up provisions for that season, as erroneously supposed; and, during the spring, emerges from its concealment, and recommences its labours.-(Shaw's Zoology, vol. vi, part 2, p. 352.)

The different species of ants, like the nations of our own species, are distinguished from each other by great diversities of manners. This is strikingly shown in the variety of modes in which they construct their

This care of the ants, in conveying their pupæ from place to place, seems to have been often mistaken for a sedulous industry in collecting grains of wheat, which the pupæ, on a cursory view, much resemble.

habitations. Some employ merely earth as the material; some collect, for the same purpose, fragments of leaves, of bark, or of straw; others use nothing but finely pulverised portions of decayed wood. The solid substance of trees is excavated by another species into numerous apartments, having regular communications with one another. Various other modifications may be observed in the architecture of the different species. The most perfect specimens of workmanship are generally exhibited by the smaller ants. The brown ant is particularly remarkable among the masonic tribes. Their nests are formed of parallel or concentric stories, each four or five lines in height; the partitions being about half a line in thickness, and built of such fine materials, that the interior appears perfectly smooth. On examining each of these stories, we discover chambers of different sizes, having long galleries of communication. The ceilings of the larger spaces are supported by small pillars, sometimes by slender walls, and in other cases by arches. Some cells have but a single entrance; others have passages, which open from the story underneath. In other parts, still larger central spaces, or halls, are met with, in which a great number of passages terminate, like the streets and avenues to a market place. The whole nest often contains twenty of these stories, above the level of the ground, and at least as many below it. The use of this numerous series of rooms will appear in the sequel. The surface of the nest is covered with a thicker wall, and has several doors, admitting, in the daytime, free ingress and egress. This species of ant is unable to bear much heat. During the day, therefore, and particularly when the sun shines, their doors are closed; and they either keep at home, or venture out only through the subterraneous passages. When the dew has given freshness to the nest, and softened the earthy materials on its surface, they begin to make their appearance above ground. On the first shower of rain

that occurs, the whole swarm are apprised of it, and immediately resume their architectural labours. While some are engaged in removing the earth below, others are employed in building an additional story on the top; the masons making use of the materials furnished by the miners. The plan of the cells and partitions is first traced in relief on the walls, which are seen gradually to arise, leaving empty spaces between them. The beginnings of pillars indicate the situation of the future halls; and the rising partitions show the form of the intended passages. Upon the plan thus traced they continue building, till they have arrived at a sufficient elevation. Masses of moistened earth are then applied at right angles to the tops of the walls, on each side, and continued in a horizontal direction till they meet in the middle. The ceilings of the larger chambers are completed in the same manner; the workers beginning from the angles of the walls, and from the tops of the pillars which have been raised in the centre. The largest of these chambers, which might be compared to the town hall, and is frequently more than two inches in diameter, is completed with apparently as much ease as the rest. This busy crowd of masons, arriving in every direction laden with materials for the building, hastening to avail themselves. of the rain to carry on their work, and yet observing the most perfect order in their operations, present the most interesting and amusing spectacle. They raise a single story in about seven or eight hours, forming a general roof as a covering to the whole; and they go on, adding other stories, so long as the rain affords them the facility of moulding the materials. When the rain ceases, and is succeeded by a drying wind, before they have completed their work, the earth ceasing to adhere together, and crumbling into powder, frustrates all their labours: as soon as they find this to be the case, they, with one accord, set about destroying the cells which they had begun, but had not been able

to cover in, and distribute the materials over the story of what they had completed.

upper

In tracing the design of the cells and galleries, each ant appears to follow its own fancy. A want of accordance must therefore frequently take place at the point where their works join; but they never appear to be embarrassed by any difficulties of this kind. An instance is related, by M. Huber, in which two opposite walls were made of such different elevations, that the ceiling of the one, if continued, would not have reached above half way of the height of the other. An experienced ant arriving at the spot seemed struck with the defect, and immediately destroyed the lower ceiling, built up the wall to the proper height, and formed a new ceiling with the materials. of the former.

The food which ants appear to relish above all others, is an exudation from the bodies of several species of aphis, insects which abound on the plants in the vicinity of ant hills. This species of honey is absorbed with great avidity by the ants, and apparently without the least detriment to the insect that yields it. This fact had already been noticed by Boissier de Sauvages; but several very interesting particulars, as to the mode in which this excretion is procured, have been brought to light by M. Huber. He informs us, that the liquor is voluntarily given out by the aphis, when solicited to do so by the ant, who, for that purpose, strikes it gently, but repeatedly, with its antennæ, using the same motions as it does when caressing its young. He is led to believe, from observation, that the aphis retains this liquor for a longer time when the ants are not at hand to receive it. A single aphis is sufficient to supply in this way many ants with a plentiful meal, Even those among them who had acquired wings, and could therefore have easily escaped from the ants, if they had been so disposed, yielded this honey as freely as the others, and with as little appearance of fear or constraint.