r;n. vn.] ANTS. 139 



and compact, was entirely formed of earth; it con- 

 tained ;ui extensive family of in-< hollered 

 from the inclemencies of the weather, and protected 

 from their enemies. These edifices an; not always 

 near the hottoiri of the thi.-itle-stalk; 

 ;ie at the height of fivo feet from 

 the ground. "Th' ays he, "are 

 'ornrnon : we cannot attribute them to 

 h-ibitual routine." Indeed, the modes of pre- 

 serving their cattle seem to he as various as those 

 : \>y man. mts receive their food 

 from the aphidet wliieh suek the jiiiees of the CC 

 mon plaintain, and the take their station 

 ii'Mf the flower of tlie plant; a- sor>n as the flowers 

 wither, t -':t-eows take shelter under the 

 >, leaves; upon whieh the ants, which before 

 Up to them, now surround them with a 

 mud wall, arid, making gallery hv way of 

 nunieation hf.-twr^eri their nest and tne "pad- 

 food from them at their convenience 

 and pleasure-. 



During autumn, winter, and spring, many species 



Jndes* Indeed, in winter they would 



horrors of a famine, did they not 



rely for food on their cattle; for though they become 



torpid when exposed to intense cold, yet, for the 



1 part, the depth of their nests preserves for 



;tly high to prevent this 



Th<-ir milch cows aie men kept on 



the roots of the plants which penetrate the interior 



of the nest, and furnish an abundant supply of liquid 



in which their keepers delight. And not only is the 



full-grown animal kept, but its eggs are watched 



and rrinrded with that care which warrant us in 



_' that the ant knows their full value. 



> f real consequence to the ants that the hatch- 



of the eggs of tne aphides should take place as 



early in the spring as possible, in order to ensure an 



early supply of food for their colony; and with the 



