ARCHITECTURE OF ANTS. 17 
have not been accidentally spoiled, or 
whose form has not been too much al- 
tered by local circumstances; a slight 
attention will then suffice to show, that 
the habitation of the different species are 
not all constructed after the same system. 
Thus, the hillock raised by the ash- 
coloured ants will always present thick 
walls, fabricated with coarse earth, well- 
marked stories, and large chambers, with 
vaulted ceilings, resting upon a solid 
base. We never observe roads or gal- 
leries, properly so called, but large pas- 
sages, of an oval form, and all around 
considerable cavities and extensive em- 
bankments of earth. We further notice, 
that the little architects observe a certain 
proportion between the large arched 
ceilings and the pillars that are to sup- 
port them. 
The brown, one of the smallest of the 
ants, is particularly remarkable for the 
extreme finish of its work. Its body is 
of a reddish shining brown, its head a 
little deeper, and the antenne and feet 
