UNDER THE BARK. «9 



quietly slipped away under cover, some dropping at 

 once to the ground and so escaping into the recesses of 

 the nest, and others crawling very leisurely down the 

 ruins of their home and disappearing into the deep- 

 lying cells. Still, quiet, and almost sluggish as were 

 their movements, they answered their purpose wonder- 

 fully well, for the retreat was made so quickly that 

 almost before I had recovered from my surprise at find- 

 ing this second nest so close to the first scarcely an ant 

 was to be seen. 



The jet ants carry this easy-going style into ordinary 

 life, and may be seen in the summer time doing what 

 few ants do, namely, idling. They have a way of 

 assembling together in considerable numbers just out- 

 side the nest and remaining quite still in the simshine, 

 instead of running about and working as do most other 

 ants, whether the sun shine upon them or not. I need 

 scarcely say that both these ants are well worthy of ex- 

 amination under the microscope. All insects are worthy 

 of such an examination, but some seem to be more 

 worthy than others, and of such are these two species of 

 ants, so different from each other in form, colour, and 

 disposition. 



The same fir-wood is also much frequented by tlie 

 magnificent insect called Sirex gigas — the insect that 

 is so common in the neighbourhood of fir woods, and is 

 80 often mistaken for a hornet. When the bark is re- 

 moved from the tree, the holes made by the sirex in 

 its larval state are very evident ; but as the insect is an 



