MODE OF OBSEKVATIOX. 3 



observation. I found it convenient to have one side 

 of the nest formed by a loose sHp of wood, and at one 

 corner I left a small door. These glass nests I either 

 kept in shallow boxes with loose glass covers resting 

 on baize, which admitted enough air, and yet was im- 

 pervious to the ants ; or on stands surrounded either 

 by water, or by fur, with the hairs pointing downwards. 

 Some of the nests I arranged on stands, as shown in 



Fig. 1. 







E c 



2 



I 



S 



I 



A. 



D' 



Cc^ 



M 



l^C 



J. 



B 



fig. 1. A A is an upright post fixed on a base B B. 

 C C is a square platform of wood round which runs a 

 ditch of water. Above are six nests, D, each lying 

 on a platform E, which could be turned for facility of 

 observation, as shown in the dotted lines D' and E'. 

 Thus the ants had a considerable range, as they could 

 wander as far as the water ditch. The object of having 

 the platform C C larger than the supports of the nests 



