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INSECT ARCHITECTURE. 



M. P. Huber, in order to observe the operations of 

 the wood-ant with more attention, transferred colo- 

 nies of them to his artificial formicaries, plunging the 

 feet of the stand into water to prevent their escape till 



they were reconciled to their abode, and had made 

 some progress in repairing it. The preceding is a 

 figure of the apparatus which he used for this pur- 

 pose. 



There is this remarkable difference in the nest of 

 the wood-ants, that they do not construct a long co- 

 vert way as if tor concealment, as the yellow and the 

 brown ants do. The wood-ants are not, like them, 

 afraid of being surprised by enemies, at least during 

 the day, when the whole colony is either foraging in 

 the vicinity or employed on the exterior. But the 

 proceedings of the wood-ants at night are well wor- 

 thy of notice; and when M. Huber began to study 



