THE ANT. 



539 



paring for the pleasure and fatigues of the 

 season. For the first day they never offer to 

 leave the hill, which may be considered as 

 their citadel, but run over every part of it, as 

 it' to examine its present situation, to observe 

 what injuries it has sustained during the 

 rigours of winter, l while they slept, and to 

 meditate and settle the labours of the day en- 

 suing. 



At the first display of their forces, none but 

 the wingless tribe appears, while those fur- 

 nished 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 mak- 

 ing their appearance. 



Thus, like bees, they are divided into males, 

 females, and the neutral or the working tribe. 

 These are ail 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, they 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, 



insects are all in motion, and hastening towards the 

 breach, each of them having a quantity of tempered mortar 

 in his mouth. This mortar they stick upon the breach as 

 fast as they arrive, and perform the operation with so much 

 despatch and facility, that, notwithstanding the immen- 

 sity of their number, they never stop or embarrass one an- 

 other. During this scene of apparent hurry and confusion, 

 the spectator is agreeably surprised, by observing a regular 

 wall rising and gradually filling up the chasm. While 

 the labourers are thus employed, almost all the soldiers 

 remain within, except here and there one, who saunters 

 about among six hundred or a thousand labourers, but never 

 touches the mortar. One soldier, however, invariably 

 takes his station close to the wall which the labourers are 

 building. This soldier turns himself leisurely on all 

 sides, and, at intervals of a minute or two, raises his 

 head, beats upon the building with his forceps, and makes 

 the vibrating noise formerly mentioned. A loud hiss 

 instantly issues from the inside of the dome, and all the 

 subterraneous caverns and passages. That this hiss pro- 

 ceeds from the labourers is apparent ; for, at every signal 

 of this kind, they work with redoubled quickness and 

 alacrity. A renewal of the attack, however, instantly 

 changes the scene. " On the first stroke," Mr Smeath- 

 man remarks, "the labourers run into the many pipes 

 and galleries with which the building is perforated, which 

 they do so quickly, that they seem to vanish ; for in a 

 few seconds, all are gone, and the soldiers rush out as 

 numerous and as vindictive as before. On finding no 

 enemy, they return again leisurely into the hill ; and, 

 soon after, the labourers appear loaded as at first, as ac- 

 tive, and as sedulous, with soldiers here and there among 

 them, who act just in the same manner, one or other o: 

 them giving the signal to hasten the business. Thus the 

 pleasure of seeing them out to fight or to work alternately 

 may be obtained as often as curiosity excites, or time 

 permits ; and it will certainly be found, that the one 

 order never attempts to fight, nor the other to work, let 

 the emergency be ever so great." 



1 Memoires pour servir a 1'Histoire des Insectes pai 

 Charles de Geer. 



may be distinguished by the colour and struc- 

 ure of her breast, which is a little more brown 

 han that of the common ant, and a little 

 Drighter than that of the male. 



In eight or ten days after their first appear- 

 ance, the labours of the hill are in some for- 

 wardness ; the males and females are seen 

 nixed 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 

 reat assiduity, and in a manner force them 

 ;o 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 meantime, 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- 

 iates, and of proper materials for giving a com- 

 fortable 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 wonderful contriv- 

 ance, and offer a sight highly worthy a na- 

 turalist's curiosity. These are generally formed 

 in the neighbourhood of some large tree and a 

 stream of water. The one is considered by 

 the animals as the proper place for getting 

 food ; the other for supplying them with mois- 

 ture, which they cannot well dispense with. 

 The shape of the ant-hill is that of a sugar- 

 loaf, about three feet high, composed of vari- 

 ous substances ; leaves, bits of wood, sand, 

 earth, bits of gum, and grains of corn. These 

 are all united into a compact body, perforated 

 with galleries down to the bottom, and wind- 

 ing ways within the body of the structure. 

 From this retreat, to the water, as well as to 

 the tree, in different directions, there are 

 many paths worn by constant assiduity, and 

 along these the busy insects are seen passing 

 and repassing continually ; so that from May, 

 or the beginning of June, according to the state 

 of the season, they work continually, till the 

 bad weather comes on. 



The chief employment of the working ants 

 is in sustaining not only the idlers at home, 

 but also finding a sufficiency of food for them- 

 selves. They live upon various provisions, as 

 well of the vegetable as of the animal kind. 

 Small insects they will kill and devour: 

 sweets of all kinds they are particularly fond 

 of. They seldom, however, think of their 

 community, till they themselves are first 

 satiated. Having found a juicy fruit, they 

 swallow what they can, and then tearing it in 

 pieces, carry home their load. If they meet 

 with an insect above their match, several ol 

 them will fall upon it at once, and, having 



