408 FETCH : , 



or travels along branches at some height from the ground. 

 Though the procession would be out of sight if among grass, 

 it does iiot travel over grassy places by preference, and if 

 compelled to traverse them, it selects the most sparsely covered 

 patches and takes advantage of every bare spot, since every 

 blade of grass affords a point, of vantage for the red ant. 

 Hence the procession usually follows the roads and footpaths, 

 generally keeping close to one side, a few inches from the 

 grassy margin. The route may be changed from time to time 

 even though the objective is the same ; and it seems impossible 

 to doubt that such changes are made for the sake of greater 

 security, as the folloAving example would appear to indicate. 

 This particular nest was situated at the top of a palm {Livistona) 

 about thirty feet high, in the dense shrubbery which borders 

 the Central Drive in the Peradeniya Gardens. The termites 

 travelled down the stem, along the bare ground to the edge of 

 the shrubbery, and then along the side of the road for a distance 

 of about twenty yards ; there they turned at right angles into 

 the shrubberj^ and ascended a tree, about three yards from 

 the road, which for the time constituted their collecting ground. 

 Five days after it was found that though they were still collect- 

 ing from the same tree, the}' had abandoned their former track, 

 and were proceeding from the palm stem along a Hibiscus branch 

 which happened to be in contact with it at a height of about 

 twelve feet, and thence along the interlacing branches of the 

 shrubbery to the tree without ever coming dowTito the ground. 

 Another track, which encircled the library at Peradeniya; 

 w worthy of mention. The library is a two-storied buiUling, 

 facing a hill at its eastern end, and access to the upper stiry 

 is gained by a bridge from the hill. On the hillside, near the 

 bridges, is a tree which contains a black termite nest. On one 

 series of foraging expeditions the termites travelled across the 

 bridge, and then round the library via its northern and western 

 sides on a ledge at the level of the upper floor. When they 

 came to the south-west corner they ascended to the roof, and 

 RO arrived at a tree, situated near the south-west comer, whose 

 branches hai)pened to touch the roof. In that way they 

 renchcfl theii- feeding ground uitjiout coming down to the 

 ground. 



