EGGS, &c. OF ANTS. 85 
their enveloping membrane in one of the 
largest cavities. of my glazed ant-hill. 
The Labourers, assembled together, ap- 
peared to be in continual motion around 
them. I noticed three or four mounted 
upon one of these cocoons, endeavouring 
to open it with their teeth at that extre- 
mity answering to the head of the pupa; 
they began thinning it, by tearing away 
some threads of silk where they wished 
to pierce it; and at length, by dint of 
pinching and biting this tissue, so ex- 
tremely difficult to break, they formed in 
ita vast number of apertures. They af- 
terwards attempted to enlarge these open- 
ings, by tearing or drawing away the silk; 
but these efforts proving ineffectual, they 
passed one of their teeth into the cocoon, 
through the apertures they had formed, 
and by cutting each thread, one after the 
other, with great patience, at length 
effected a passage, of a line in diameter, 
in the superior part of the web. They 
now uncovered the head and feet of the 
insect to which they were desirous of 
