ARCHITECTURE OF ANTS. 7 
to give afree egress to the vast multitude 
of labourers of which their colony is com- 
posed. Not only do they work continu- | 
ally on the outside of their nest, but dif- 
fering very essentially from other species 
who willingly remain in the interior shel- 
tered from the sun, they prefer living in 
the open air, and do not hesitate carrying — 
on, even in our presence, the greater part 
of their operations. 
In the habitations of the yellow ant, 
the dark ash-coloured ant, the sanguine 
ant, the brown ant, &c. we never observe 
the entrances of sufficient width to allow 
their enemies easy access, or permit the 
introduction of the rain. ‘They are co- 
yered with a dome of earth, closed on all 
sides, and have no outlet but near the 
base, which is by along and tortuous pas- 
sage that winds to the distance of several 
feet in the grass. The diminutive size 
of these apertures, at all times diligently 
guarded within, prevents the entrance 
of any insects or reptiles that may happen 
to arrive there. 
B 4 
