248 INSECT ARCHITECTURE. 



places, that one shall be covered with them before he 

 is aware. These creatures have nests on great trees, 

 placed on the body between the limbs : some of their 

 nests are as big as a hogshead. This is their winter 

 habitation ; for in the wet season they all repair to these 

 their cities, where they preserve their eggs. In the dry 

 season, when they leave their nests, they swarm all over 

 the woodlands, for they never trouble the savannahs. 

 G-reat paths, three or four inches broad, made by them, 

 may be seen in the woods. They go out light, but bring 

 home heavy loads on their backs, all of the same sub- 

 stance, and equal in size. I never observed anything 

 besides pieces of green leaves, so big that I could scarcely 

 see the insect for his burthen ; yet they would march 

 stoutly, and so many were pressing forward that it was a 

 very pretty sight, for the path looked perfectly green with 

 them." 



Ants observed in Xew South Wales, by the gentlemen 

 in the expedition under Captain Cook, are still more in- 

 teresting. *' Some,'' we are told, " are as green as a 

 leaf, and live upon trees, where they build their nests 

 of various sizes, between that of a man's head and his 

 fist. These nests are of a very furious structure : they 

 are formed by bending down several of the leaves, each 

 of which is as broad as a man's hand, and gluing the 

 points of them together, so as to form a purse. The 

 viscous matter used for this purpose is an animal juice 

 which nature has enabled them to elaborate. Their 

 method of first bending down the leaves we had no 

 opportunity to observe ; but we saw thousands uniting 

 all their strength to hold them in this position, while 

 other busy multitudes were employed within in applying 

 this gluten that was to prevent their returning back. To 

 satisfy ourselves that the leaves were bent and held down 

 by the eiforts of these diminutive artificers, we disturbed 

 them in their work ; and as soon as they were driven 

 from their stations, the leaves on which they were em- 

 ployed sprang up with a force much greater than we 

 could have thought them able to conquer by any com- 



