WOOD-ANTS. 241 



than a quarter of an inch from the suiface, provided it had 

 not been previously out of repair, or deserted by its 

 inhabitants. 



" The ants are extremely well sheltered in their chambers, 

 the largest of which is placed nearly in the centre of the 

 building ; it is much loftier than the rest, and traversed 

 only by the beams that support the ceiling ; it is in this 

 spot that all the galleries terminate, and this forms, for the 

 most part, their usual residence. 



"As to the underground joortion, it can only be seen 

 when the ant-hill is placed against a declivity ; all the 

 interior may be then readily brought in view, by simply 

 raising up the straw roof. The subten-anean residence 

 consists of a range of apartments, excavated in the earth, 

 taking an horizontal direction." * 



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

 wood-ant with more attention, transferred colonies 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. 

 On the next page is a figure of the apparatus which he used 

 for this purpose. 



There is this remarkable difference in the nest of the 

 wood-ants, that they do not construct a long covert way as 

 if for 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 worthy of notice ; and when M. Huber began to 

 study their economy, he directed his entire attention to 

 their night proceedings. "I remarked," says he, "that 

 their habitations changed in appearance hourly, and that 

 the diameter of those spacious avenues, where so many 

 ants could freely pass each other during the day, was, as 

 night approached, gradually lessened. The aperture, at 

 length, totally disappeared, the dome was closed on all 

 sides, and the ants retired to the bottom of their nest. 

 * Huber on Ants, p. 15. 



