92 TRANSACTIONS OF THE [FEB. 4, 
Now a few words as to their work on moist wood. Abouta 
month ago, during dry weather, one of my workmen had some 
ash panels for inside finish of coaches, and laid them on 
his bench piled up, six or more in thickness, without anything 
between. ‘The ants found them, and ina few days ruined them. 
This was apparently dry lumber. They attacked some white- 
wood along the tongue and groove, at about the same time. 
The carpenters tell me that the ants will not touch a board ly- 
ing alone, but if several are placed over each other, they will 
work between them. I notice that I find fewer tracks of ants 
or nests in the dry season than in the wet. I have just found a 
portion of another ‘‘last year’s nest ” in an 8 x 8 stick of yellow 
pine, which I think may interest you, as it shows the way they 
construct their houses or nests. I have just been looking ata 
vial of ants that I have bottled for you. They are from the 
same place I got the others, which you class as another variety, 
and I agree with you from what I have seen of them. ‘Their 
galleries are much smaller, about one-sixteenth inch diameter 
inside, and one-eighth inch diameter outside, and apparently 
made of soil. ‘They are very shy and difficult to capture ; and 
as soon as the gallery is disturbed, they disappear quickly. I 
have not found any working on wood yet; in fact very few wood- 
ants are at work just now. I have only two nests under observa- 
tion;—perhaps dry weather is unfavorable. 
I broke two or three of their galleries, thinking to return 
after a while and see them at work repairing again. But when I 
returned it was all done. So about noon I went again, took out 
my glass, and broke two galleries; one was running up the 
fence-post, so that the sun, being directly overhead, shone into 
the gallery to some depth. The other, some two inches away, 
did not admit the rays of the sun. I noticed they seemed to be 
most anxious to work on the one that admitted the sun’s direct 
rays. In about five minutes I began to see the little fellows 
with the cement come along and examine the break, but they 
brought nothing; I observed, however, that they turned and 
placed a little cement on the edge of the break. Six or eight did 
this: then one little fellow came with the first ‘‘ brick,” patted 
it into position, gave it the regulation number of rubs, then 
turned around and placed a little cement there for the next 
brick. Is this not wonderful? Who but the All-wise Creator 
told these little creatures of His handiwork that the dry grains 
would not stick on the dry walls of their galleries without first 
being moistened ? 
The other fellows with the black, shiny beaks (nasuti soldiers) 
seemed to do the running around. {have not seen them use 
their beaks, but 1 do not think that they open. My glass is not 
