224 ANTS. Chap. XL 



very narrow, only one or two ants could work at the 

 same time. 



Forest Termes. — Now I come to another species of 

 white ants much larger than those I have described 

 before, and building far larger structures. 



The shelters of this ant are found in the forest, and 

 are rather uncommon ; they are always found single, 

 their light yellow colour makes them quite con- 

 spicuous in the midst of the dark foliage by which 

 they are surrounded ; this yellow colour comes from 

 the soil which the ants use in building, and which 

 they get from below the black loam. 



The heio:ht of the structure I examined was four 

 feet and a half, and the diameter at the broadest 

 part two feet and a half ; after breaking one sinuo- 

 sity I found the cells to be about one inch and a 

 half in length and about half an inch in height, 

 each cell corresponding with the others by corridors 

 or round tunnels varying from half an inch to one 

 inch in length, and about a quarter of an inch in 

 diameter. 



In demolishing the sides, I found that the thickness 

 of the wall was only one inch before the cells were 

 found ; but I found the earth at the top much harder 

 than on the sides, as though the builders had put a 

 much larger quantity of glutinous matter in this 

 part of the structure. 



After demolishing three inches of this yellow top 

 of the nest I came suddenly to another layer, half an 

 inch thick, full of little holes or cells, so small that 

 they had no doubt been built on purpose for the ants 



