AMERICAN UYMENOrXERA. 259 



estate of the colony. Here and there a hill was beinej covered over 

 with fre.sh pellets of soil, which the ants were briut^ing from the 

 interior, and scattering Qqujilly over the surface. This showed that 

 the work of enlarging the galleries, perhaps the underground galleries, 

 was being pushed forward. But this was all. Artificial showers, pro- 

 duced with wisps of grass, failed to create any architectural activity. 

 However, the evening of Friday (Aug. 18), proved a happy exception 

 to the traditional ill omened character of the day, for it brought to 

 our ant city a heavy, protracted shower. From 9 to 10 o'clock p. m., 

 I was out with lantern and umbrella to note the effect upon the ants 

 of the rain, which was then comparatively light. The insects were 

 working much as usual. They crowded in columns along the avenues; 

 they thronged the trees-paths, and covered the feeding-grounds collect- 

 ing honey-dew from the ajihides; they wrought quietly upon the hills. 

 At -1 A. M., at the severest period of the storm, when the rain was 

 falling very heavily, I again went the rounds of the hills, some 8 

 or 10, which I had marked for close, continuous observation. Mat- 

 ters were very much as before, the ants appearing to be scarcely 

 disturbed. 



After daylight, the scene presented was an exceedingly lively and 

 interesting one. The utmost activity prevailed on every hill, and the 

 whole architectural habits of the little builders were uncovered to 

 observation. These may readily be seen by reference to the following 

 figures. The drawings were made upon the ground and are trans- 

 ferred from my note book without change in order to secure entire 

 accuracy in architectural plan and detail. Figures 1 iind 2 were 

 drawn from work done upon a small hill which had been cut across 

 the top in order to study the construction of the galleries. On the 

 day bcfnre the shower one-half the cone was left standing, the broken 

 cells and clay cleared away and thrown to one side. The work of 

 restoring the ruined half began immediately upon the former founda- 

 tion. The pellets used upon the works were for the most part brought 

 from within. S(|uads of workers were continually thrusting their 

 heads out (>{' the galleries opening upon the perpendTcular face of the 

 remaining hall-cone, and dropping down pellets. These were taken 

 up by s(|iiads below and wrought into the galleries and halls repre- 

 sented in the cuts. I remained for a whole day before this and 

 another hill, observing when accuracy re(|uired, with a magnifier, 

 which I was able to do without disturbing the busy little architects. 

 The method of observation was to note each step made, changing the 



