108 THE VICTORIAN NATURALIST. 



the nature of the soil, or the advantage taken of its local 

 surroundings. I have found the Blacks show a greater preference 

 for old tree roots, and in one case where they had made a nest 

 near a fallen tree, one of the limbs of which had dipped into the 

 ground, where it had rotted away, the ants had returned up the 

 limb, so that that nest was not only below but also 2 feet 

 above ground, and larvse were found in the portion above the 

 ground level. 



The sectional case exhibited at the September meeting measures 

 4 feet X 3 feet, and is a type of the nests of both the Reds and 

 the Blacks. The channels are wider towards the bottom, 

 narrower and more numerous at the surface, and they diverge 

 from the entrances. The inception of this design of case is due 

 to the secretary of the Trustees, Mr. Thomas Short, who, as a 

 practical constructional engineer, is au fait with sections. It has 

 been made under his direction, and possesses the great advantage 

 of showing both the ants and the construction of the nest. I 

 propose that this vertical section should be called " Short's 

 section," to distinguish it from the flat table, which is Sir John 

 Lubbock's section. 



It has been inferred by Sir John Lubbock that ants do not like 

 the light, while the Rev. W. Farren White states that they have a 

 preference for it. The Bulls certainly show a preference for the 

 light. Not only are their nests generally placed where the sun 

 may shine on them, but in the insect-house they desert the side 

 of the case farthest from the light and frequent the portion 

 nearest the windows. Where they have themselves made 

 additional entrances to the nest, both the Blacks and the Reds 

 have made them as near to the windows as they could, while the 

 Reds have even closed up those entrances I had at first made for 

 them at the side of the case farthest from the windows. 



In the proceedings of the Linnsean Society (of London) for 

 186 1 is a communication from a Mrs. Hatton, of Sydney, in 

 which are details of what is called the " funeral rites " of the 

 "Soldier" Ant — presumably the Red Bull. She states that, a 

 number of these ants having stung one of her children, she killed 

 about 30 of them, and on returning to the spot half an hour 

 afterwards she found a large number surrounding the dead ones. 

 She adds : — " I determined to watch their proceedings closely, and 

 followed four or five that started off from the rest towards a 

 hillock a short distance off in which was an ants' nest ; this they 

 entered, and in about five minutes they reappeared, followed by 

 others; all fell into rank, walking regularly and slowly two by 

 two until they arrived at the sjjot where lay the dead bodies of 

 the Soldier Ants. In a few minutes two of the ants advanced and 

 took up the dead body of one of their comrades, then two others, 

 and so on until all were ready to march. First walked two ants 



