380 THE INSECT WORLD. 



the building, provisioning, and rearing of the larvse — in fact, all thi 

 care of the household, and the defence of the nest. Deprived of" 

 wings, they are bound to the soil, and condemned to work. As com- 

 pensation, to them belong strength, authority, power : nothing is done 

 but through them. " Born protectors of an immense family still in 

 the cradle," says M. Victor Rendu, " by their vigilance, their tender- 

 ness, and their soHcitude, without being mothers themselves, the) 

 share in the duties and joy of maternity. Alone, they decide or 

 peace or war ; alone, they take part in combats : head, heart, and 

 arm of the republic, they ensure its prosperity, watch over its defence 

 found colonies, and in their works show themselves great and perse 

 vering artists." 



The nests of ants (Figs. 361, 362) are known under the name d 

 ant-hills. They vary very much, both as to their form and the mat€| j 

 rials employed in making them — wood and earth are the principa 

 That which strikes one at first sight, is the size of these dwelling; 

 which form a curious contrast to the smallness of their builders. Eac 

 species of ant has an order of architecture peculiar to it. The Re 

 Ant {Formica rufa\ one of the commonest in our woods, constructs 

 little rounded hillock with all kinds of objects— fragments of woo( 

 bits of straw, dry leaves, the remains of insects, &c. This hillock, tl: 

 base of which is protected by material of greater solidity, is nothii] 

 more than the exterior envelope of the nest, which is carried unde 

 ground to a very great depth. Avenues, cleverly contrived, lead froi: 

 the summit to the interior. The openings vary in width ; and, | 

 night approaches, are carefully barricaded. They are opened eve) 

 morning, except on rainy days, when the doors remain shut, and tl 

 inhabitants confined within. 



The ant-hill, oy formicai'iiun^ is at first simply a hole hollowed 

 in the soil, the entrance to which is masked by the building materia 

 But the miners do not cease to hollow out galleries and chambei 

 arranged by stories. The earth and rubbish are carried out, ai 

 serve to construct the upper edifice, which rises at the same time th 

 the excavation grows deeper. It is a labyrinth bored in all directioi 

 It contains corridors, landings, chambers, and spacious rooms, whi 

 communicate with each other by passages which are often vertic 

 All the corridors lead to a large central space, loftier than the othe 

 and supported by pillars ; it is here that the greater number of t 

 ants congregate. These ant-hills often rise to a height of fiftei 

 inches above the ground, and descend to an equal depth. Fig. 3 

 shows the interior of an ant-hill, drawn from Nature. Outside it i 

 to be seen some ants occupied in sucking plant-lice. 





