CHAPTER XL 



ANTS. 



The Wliite Ants of the Prairies — The Mushroom-hived Termes — Interior 

 of their Hives — Three classes in each Community : Soldiers, AVorkers, 

 and Chiefs — Their mode of building — The Tree Ants — Curious structure 

 of their Hives — Their process of constructing them — The Bark Ants — 

 Curious tunnels formed by them — The Forest Ants — Large size of their 

 Shelters or Hives — The stinging Black Ant. 



DuRixG my stay at Mayolo, I occupied a great part 

 of my leisure hours in studying tlie habits of the 

 many different species of white ants (Termites), the 

 nests of which are very conspicuous objects in the 

 prairie. The study of these curious creatures was 

 most fascinating, and it was a source of great enjoy- 

 ment to me in the midst of so many cares and 

 anxieties. The ants are of wonderful diversity, 

 both in form of body, head, and so forth, and in 

 architectural tastes. I began to form a collection 

 of them, putting specimens of the different kinds, 

 in their various stages, in little glass tubes filled 

 with spirits, having brought an assortment of 

 these tubes for the purpose of preserving minute 

 insects. The loss of this collection in my retreat 

 from Mouaou Kombo I felt most keenly, as I had 

 hoped the specimens would have explained much that 

 still remains obscure in the history of these curious 

 insects. It prevents me also from giving the proper 



