34 Transactions of the 



MEETING, July 10th, 1873. 

 The President in the Chair. 



The fifth meeting of the terra was held in the Chemistry Lecture 

 Eoom. There were Thirty-nine members and visitors present. 



The following donations were acknowledged: — Fossils and Minerals 

 (Celestine : and spiral Shells from the lower limestone shales), pre- 

 sented by J. 6. Grenfell, Esq. ; a Heron, by J. Saunders, Esq. ; a 

 Photograph of the Map of the World, in Hereford Cathedral, by 

 Beddoe. 



H. Wills read a paper on " Vases." The paper was illustrated by 

 numerous engravings, and also by two ancient Greek vases, lent to 

 Wills by H. R. Brown, Esq. The President spoke at some length on 

 the paper. 



J. Allen then read a paper on 



ANTS. 



I intend, in this short paper, to bring before your notice some of 

 the works undertaken by these insects, and also to show, so far as I 

 am able, their habits ; and, finally, to enter into a description of these 

 minute creatures. 



The chief work perhaps of an ant is the construction of its 

 habitation. Some may have seen the conical mounds, composed of 

 straw, pieces of wood, stones, and leaves, that make up the nest of 

 the large red ant (Formica rvfa). But did you know that that mound 

 •was not a solid mass of matter, hut was most admirably constructed 

 inside to suit the convenience of its occupants : in fact it is so com- 

 posed that the air and rain have no effect upon it, and heat and cold 

 are ahke regulated as is suitable. Viewing the mound exteriorly, 

 you will find it is of a circular dome-like shape ; the base being 

 circular, and above it the wooden portion of the building rises in the 

 shape of a sugar loaf. Now let us take a look at the interior. It is 

 at once noticeable that there are a number of stories in the nest, one 

 resting on the other. Some stories are above the earth, others arrayed 

 some depth in the earth. In the summer, when the weather is very 

 hot, the ants take their young ones to the lower stories, which are 

 cool ; and in winter, when the subterranean portion becomes damp, 

 they go up above. ^ 



The nest of the brown ant (^Formica Brunnea), contains often 

 twenty stories above the earth, and twenty below. Each story con- 

 sists of saloon-shaped cavities, narrower apartments, and connecting 

 galleries. The arched ceilings of the apartments are smooth and 

 firm, supported by columns, slender walls, or regular buttresses. 

 Many chambers have only one entrance from above, whilst others 

 have two, one from above and one from below. The galleries meet 

 in one large apartment, which communicates with the subterranean 

 passages, which again communicates with the exterior through long 

 passages in the earth. The way m which these ants construct 



