THE ANT. 



815 



ter is mild, and of short continuance, this may 

 take place; but in France and England, 

 these animals can have no manner of occa 

 sion for a supply of winter provisions, as they 

 are actually in a state of torpidity during that 

 season. 



The common* ants of Europe are of two or 

 three different kinds; some red, some black; 

 some with sth>gs, and others without: such 

 as have stings, inflict their wounds in that 

 manner; such as are unprovided with inese 

 weapons of defence, have a power of spurting 

 from their hinder parts an acid pungent 

 liquor, which, if it lights upon the skin, in- 

 flames and burns it like nettles. 



The body of an ant is divided into the 

 head, breast, and belly. In the head the 

 eyes are placed, which are entirely black, 

 and under their eyes there are two small 

 horns or feelers, composed of twelve joints, 

 all covered with a fine silky hair. The mouth 

 is furnished with two crooked jaws, which 

 project outwards, in each of which are seen 

 incisures, that look like teeth. The breast 

 is covered with a fine silky hair, from which 

 project six legs, that are pretty strong and 

 hairy, the extremities of each armed with two 

 small claws, which the animal uses in climb- 

 ing. The belly is more reddish than ihe rest 

 of the body, which is of a brown chesnut 

 colour, shining as glass, and covered with ex- 

 tremely fine hair. 



From such a formation, this animal seems 

 bolder and more active, for its size, than any 

 other of the insect tribe, and fears not to at- 

 tack a creature often above ten times its own 

 magnitude. 



As soon as the winter is past, in the first 

 fine day in April, the ant-hill, that before 

 seemed a desert, now swarms with new lile, 

 and myriads of these insects are seen just 

 awaked from their annual lethargy, and pre- 

 paring for the pleasures and fatigues of the 

 season. For the first day they -never otter 

 to leave the hill, which may be considered 

 as their citadel, but run over every part of 

 it, as if to examine its present situation, to 

 observe what injuries it has sustained during 

 the rigours of winter,' while they slept, and 



(a) Memoires pour servir sk 1'Histoire des Insectes par 

 Charles de Geer. 



to meditate and settle the labours of the day 

 ensuing. 



At the first display of their forces, none 

 but the wingless tribe appears, while those 

 furnished with wings remain at the bottom. 

 These are the working ants that first appear, 

 and that are always destitute of wings ; the 

 males and females, that are furnished with 

 four large wings each, are more slow in 

 making their appearance. 



Thus, like bees, they are divided into males, 

 females, and the neutral or the working tribe. 

 These are all easily distinguished from each 

 other; the females are much larger than the 

 males ; the working ants are the smallest of 

 all. The two former have wings; which, 

 however, (hey sometimes are divested of; 

 the latter never have any, and upon them are 

 devolved 'all the labours that tend to the wel- 

 fare of the community. The female, also, 

 may be distinguished by the colour and struc- 

 ture of her breast, which is a little more 

 brown than that of the common ant, and a 

 little brighter than that of the male. 



In eight or ten days after their first ap- 

 pearance, the labours of the hill are in some 

 forwardness ; the males and females are seen 

 mixed with the working multitude, and pur- 

 sued or pursuing each other. They seem no 

 way to partake in the common drudgeries of 

 the state : the males pursue the females with 

 great assiduity, and in a manner force them 

 to compliance. They remain coupled for 

 some time ; while the males, thus united, 

 suffer themselves to be drawn along by the 

 will of their partners. 



In the mean time, the working body of the 

 state take no part in their pleasures; they 

 are seen diligently going from the ant-hill, in 

 pursuit of food for themselves and their asso- 

 ciates, and of proper materials for giving a 

 comfortable retreat to their young, or safety 

 to their habitation. In the fields of England, 

 ant-hills are formed with but little apparent 

 regularity. In the more southern provinces 

 of Europe they are constructed with wonder- 

 ful contrivance, and oflR-r a sight highly 

 worthy a naturalist's curiosity. These arc 

 generally formed in the neighbourhood of 

 some large tree and a stream of water. The 

 one is considered by the animals as the pro- 

 per place for getting food ; the other for sup- 



