UNDER THE BARK. 57 



strongest objection to the inroad upon their premises, 

 and ran about actively in all directions. Their habi- 

 tation was elaborately made of small particles of earth, 

 which had been built together after the fashion of ants, 

 and had been arranged between the bark and the wood 

 so as to form a perfect labyrinth of soil cells and 

 passages. I was really sorry to have broken into so 

 elaborate a piece of insect architecture, but the mis- 

 chief had been done, and was aggravated by a brisk 

 and decidedly cold wind which had just sprung up, and 

 which blew the unfortunate ants about in a way of 

 which they did not at all approve. 



This species of ant is very common, especially on 

 heaths and similar places, and has the power of varying 

 the structure of its nest so as to suit all conditions. 

 On open ground it builds little hillocks, which, fragile 

 as they appear, are quite capable of throwing off the 

 rain. If, however, it can find a flat stone, it takes 

 advantage of so good a shelter, and makes its habitation 

 immediately beneath it, while in the present instance 

 it had run up its chambers from the earth and extended 

 them between the wood and bark of the stump. The 

 bark was very close to the wood, and the insects had 

 gained the requisite space by making shallow cavities 

 in the decaying wood. During a severe winter these 

 ants carry their habitations deeply into the ground, 

 and make chambers, sunk well beneath the surface, 

 communicating with each other by passages some four 

 inches in length. It is in these nests, by the way, that 



