236 INSECT ARCHITECTURE. 



M. Hiiber made most of his observations upon the pro- 

 cesses followed by ants in glazed artificial hives or formi- 

 ' caries. The preceding figure represents a view of one of 

 his formicaries of mason-ants. 



We have ourselves followed np his observations, both 

 on natural ant-hills and in artificial formicaries. On dig- 

 ging cautiously into a natural ant-hill, established upon 

 the edge of a garden-walk, Ave were enabled to obtain a 

 pretty complete view of the interior structure. There 

 were two stories, composed of large chambers, irregularly 

 oval, communicating with each other b}^ arched galleries, 

 the walls of all which were as smooth and well-polished 

 as if they had been passed over by a plasterer's trowel. 

 The floors of the chambers, we remarked, were by no 



means either horizontal or level, but all more or less 

 sloped, and exhibiting in each chamber at least two slight 

 depressions of an irregular shape. We left the under 

 story of this nest untouched, with the notion that the 

 ants might repair the upper galleries, of which we had 

 made a vertical section ; but instead of doing so they 

 migrated during the day to a large crack formed by the 

 dryness of the weather, about a yard from their old nest. 

 (J.E.) 



We put a number of yellow ants (^Formica flam), with 

 their eggs and cocoons, into a small glass frame, more than 

 half full of moist sand taken from their native hill, and 

 placed in a sloping position, in order to see whether they 

 would bring the nearly vertical, and therefore insecure, 

 portion to a level by masonry. We were delighted to 

 perceive that they immediately resolved upon performing 

 the task which had been assigned them, though they did 



