ON ENTOMOLOGY. 39 



doors in the evening'. The contrast was still more remarkable than 1 

 had previously supposed, for upon visiting the Brown Ants some davs 

 after during a gentle rain, I saw all their architectural talents in full play. 

 .As soon as the rain commenced they left in great numbers their subter- 

 ranean residence, re-entered it almost immediately , and then returned bear- 

 ing between their teeth pellets of earth, which they deposited on the roof of 

 their nest. I could not at first conceive what this was meant for, but 

 at length I saw little walls start up on all sides, with spaces left between 

 them. In several places columns ranged at regular distances announced 

 halls, lodges, and passages, which the Ants proposed establishing; in a 

 word, it was the rough beginning of a new story. I watched with a 

 considerable degree of interest the most triflng movements of my masons, 

 and found that they did not work after the manner of Wasps and humble 

 Bees when occupied in constructing a covering to their nest. The latter 

 sit as it were astride on the border or margin of the covering, and take 

 it between their teeth to model, and attenuate it according to their wish. 

 The wax of which it is composed, and the paper which the Wasp em- 

 ploys, moistened by some kind of glue, are admirably adapted for the 

 purpose ; but the earth of which the Ants make use, from its often pos- 

 sessing little tenacity, must be worked up after some other manner. 

 Each Ant then carried between its teeth the pellet of earth it had formed 

 by scraping with the end of its mandibles the bottom of its abode, a cir- 

 cumstance which I have fiequently observed in open day. This little 

 mass of earth being composed of particles but just united, could be readily 

 kneaded and moulded as the Ants wished ; thus, when they had applied 

 it to the spot where they had to rest, they divided and pressed against it 

 with their teeth so as to fill up the little inequalities of their wall. The 

 Hiitennte followed all their movements, passing over each particle of 

 <':iriu as soon as it was placed in its proper position. The whole was 

 rendered more compact by pressing it lightly with the fore feet. This 

 work went on remarkably fast. After having traced out the plan of their 

 masonry in laying here and there foundations for the pillars and parti- 

 tions they were about to direct, they raised them gradually higher by 

 adding fresh materials. It often happened that two little walls, which 

 were to form a gallery, were raised opposite and at a slight distance 

 from each other. When they had attained the height of four or five 

 lines, the Ants busied themselves in covering in the space left between 

 them by a vaulted ceiling. As if they judged all their partitions of 

 sufficient elevation, they then quitted their labours in the upper part of 

 the building ; they affixed to the interior and upper part of each wall, 

 fragments of moistened earth in an almost horizontal direction, and in 

 such a way as to form a ledge which by extension would be made to join 

 that coming from, the opposite wall. These ledges were about half a 

 line in thickness, and the breadth of the galleries was for the most part 

 about a quarter of an inch. On one side several vertical partitions were 

 seen to form the scaffolding of a lodge, which communicated with several 



