FECUNDATION OF ANTS. iii 
peated by so many learned naturalists, is 
well entitled to our confidence. Swam- 
merdam must, therefore, have been 
deceived. By means of the glasses in 
my artificial ant-hill, we have traced 
from its first commencement the de- 
velopement of their wings; we have seen 
the ants take flight, unite in the air with 
the males, and hover in the midst of the 
swarm, which is almost entirely com- 
posed of male insects. It would be diffi- 
cult to be mistaken in facts of this nature. 
It has also been stated, that there are 
females without wings. Indeed, every 
time I have opened ant-hills, I have found 
some entirely destitute of these organs. 
Are these the females that are at one 
time in the number of flying insects, 
and at another time reduced to the con- 
dition of labourers? For what end, and 
how do these insects lose their wings ? In 
the following observations will, I think, 
be found the solution of this problem. 
One day, with the view of ascertain 
ing the precise condition ef the females, 
I visited certain ant-hills, which I knew 
