60 BRITISH ANTS. 



each other by galleries. A fourth space, which is narrower than the 

 other three and is not connected with them, serves as a water- 

 trough. A sheet of glass covers in the three chambers ; this has 

 three holes in it, one over each chamber, and other sheets of glass 

 close these holes. Water is poured into the water-trough once or 

 twice a week to keep the nest damp, and the nest is placed on a 

 sheet of glass to prevent the moisture from reaching the table on 

 which it stands. The chamber furthest from the water-trough is 

 naturally the dryest, and is exposed to the light, the other two 

 damper chambers being covered over with some opaque material. 

 The food for the ants is placed in the light dry chamber, which repre- 

 sents the outside world, and the two dark chambers represent the 

 interior of the nest. 



The following other observation nests may be mentioned which 

 are used by different myrmecologists. 



Wasmann employs two "Lubbock nests," which are connected 

 with each other by a glass tube. The larger of the two the main 

 nest, which contains the colony of ants is connected with various 

 glass vessels, etc., containing earth and food, to serve as playing- 

 and dumping-grounds for the ants. 



Miss Fielde uses a form of "Lubbock nests," which may consist 

 of two, or three, chambers ; strips of glass, instead of wood, form 

 the walls of the nest, held in place by crockery cement. The walls 

 and partitions are topped with Turkish towelling, a glass roof pane 

 for each chamber resting on it. No earth is present, and slices of 

 damp sponge are placed in the one, or two inner dark chambers 

 to supply the necessary moisture. 



Wheeler combines a " Janet " and a " Fielde " nest, by construct- 

 ing the whole of the body of the apparatus of plaster of Paris, the 

 interior being thickly coated with varnish. The glass roof panes rest 

 on Turkish towelling, and the sponges are used, no earth being 

 present. 



Emery makes a modified " Janet nest " from tiles which are 

 perforated with holes. The tiles are ground down to the required 

 thickness, the holes on the side which forms the bottom of the 

 nest are closed with plaster of Paris, and the top is covered by a 

 plate of glass. 



Brun has substituted a block of peat to take the place of the 

 plaster of Paris walls and partitions of a " Janet nest," the top and 

 bottom being covered with glass. 



A small artificial nest for colonies of diminutive ants which have 

 to be kept in very tight receptacles, is constructed by Santschi as 

 follows : " The base of the nest consists of a rectangular glass plate, 

 such as is most conveniently obtained by cleaning an unsuccessfully 

 exposed photographic plate of ordinary dimensions, say 3x4 or 

 4 X 5 in. Wet plaster of Paris is poured on to this plate in the form 

 of the heavy lines in the accompanying diagrams, which represent 



