( IS ) 



that in time, it can become as large as the whole body of the parent, 

 before tlic yojing one comes forth, and that, when come to this 

 grow til, it Ihall not afterwards inercafe in fize ? Tliis, however, 

 if thefe are the real eggs, we nmll: conceive of the Ant ; but, whether 

 tlie fame takes place in any other creature I know not, nor have 

 ever oblervcd. In all probability thefe eggs, as they are called, 

 when tirit laid, are very fmall, and continually inercafe in fize; the 

 conclufiou is, that they mull conllantly receive fome kind of nourilli- 

 ment to caulc Ivich increafe; whence we may infer, that the collection 

 of food which Ants, in the fummer time carry to their nells, is, prin- 

 cipally, to feed their young. This, my opinion, I doubt not will be 

 greatly controverted, becaufe the yoxmg Ants lie incloled in a kind of 

 Ikin or membrane, and, confecpiently, it is difficult to conceive how 

 they can receive nourilhment from the father or mother, when thus 

 complotelv leparated from them. And yet it is llill more ditH- 

 cult to conceive, how an animal in the egg, and alfo the egg 

 itfelf, can daily grow larger, without receiving aity nourilliment. 

 I did indeed, at firll, imagine that the young Ant was com- 

 pletely formed in this egg ; but at length I rejedled that opinion, 

 determining to examine the truth of this matter, and, if poffible, to 

 difcover bv what means thefe eggs of the Ant do increafe in lize. 



And, reconciling, tliat I could not be at a lofs for Ants' nells in 

 my garden, having bi^en formerly much infelled by them, I took 

 a fpade full of earth, mixed with Ants and their eggs, which I put 

 on a clean flicet of paper, and fat myfelf down before it, to examine 

 the Ants carefully, who are accuilomed, when their nefts are 

 diflurbed, to carry away their eggs. Many of thefe 1 took from 

 them, and obferved, that what moll of them were carrying was 

 no other than a young Ant, quite white, and without motion; 

 though in others of thefe Ants the white colour was tiu'ned to a red. 

 Others were white, and of an oblong Ihape ; and thefe I took to be 

 what are ufually called the Ants' eggs. Thefe laft were fmallcr 

 and fmaller, and fome of them no bigger than a common grain 



