88 EGGs, &c. OF ANTS. 
every part of the body, drew the antennz 
gently from their investment, then dis- 
engaged the feet and the wings, and 
lastly, the body, the abdomen, and its pe- 
duncle. The insect was now in a condi- 
tion to walk and receive nourishment, for 
which it appeared there was urgent need. 
The first attention therefore, paid it by 
the guardians, was that of giving it the 
food I had placed within their reach. 
The ants in every part of the ant-hill 
were occupied in giving liberty to the 
males, females, and young labourers, that 
were still enveloped. On being dispos- 
sessed of their coverings, the remnants 
were collected and placed aside in one of 
the most distant lodges of their habita- 
_ tion; for these insects observe the greatest 
order and regularity. Some species of 
ants remove these shreds to a distance 
from the ant-hill, others, cover the ex- 
terior surface of their nest with them, or 
collect them in particular apartments. * 
* M. Latreille has remarked, as well as De Geer, 
that, among the Ash-coloured Ants, there are some 
pupe which are naked, others enclosed in a 
