366 HISTORY OF 



like the silk- worm. The real egg when laid, if viewed through 

 a microscope, appears smooth, polished, and shining, while the 

 maggot is seen composed of twelve rings, and is often larger 

 than the ant itself. — It is impossible to express the fond attach- 

 as green as a leaf, and live upon trees, where they build their nests of vari 

 nus sizes, between tliat of a man's head and his fist Tliese nests are of a 

 very cuiious structure : they are formed by bending down several of the 

 leaves, each of which is as broad as a man's hand, and glueing the points of 

 them together so as to form a purse. The viscous matter used for this pur- 

 pose is au auiraal juice which nature has enabled them to elaborate. An- 

 other sort are quite black, their habitations are the inside of the branches 

 of a tree which tliey contrive to excavate, by working out the pith almost to 

 the extremity of the slenderest twig, the tree at the same time flourishing as 

 if it had no such inmate. A third kind we found nested in the root of a plant, 

 which grows on the bark of trees in the manner of mistletoe, and which 

 they had perforated for that use. This root is commonly as big as a large 

 turnip, and sometimes much bigger. When we cut it we found it inter- 

 sected by innumerable winding passages, all filled with these animals, by 

 which, however, the vegetation of the plant did not appear to have suflered 

 any injury. We never cut one of these roots that was not inhabited, 

 though some were not bigger than a hazel-nut. The animals themselves 

 are very small, not more than half as big as the common red ant in Eng- 

 land. They had stings, but scarcely force enough to make them felt : they 

 had, however, a power of tormenting us in an equal, if not in a greater de- 

 gree ; for the moment we handled the root, they swarmed from innumera- 

 ble holes, and running about those parts of the body that were uncovered, 

 produced a titillation more intolerable than pain, except it is increased to 

 great violence." 



The species called S>lgar-A)if-? inthe V/est Indies are particularly destruc- 

 tive to the sugar-cane, as well as to lime, lemon, and orange-trees, by ex- 

 cavating their nests at the roots, and so loosening the earth that they are 

 frequently uprooted and blomi down by the winds. If this does not hap- 

 pen the roots are deprived of due nourishineut, and the plants become sickly 

 and die. 



But the most extraordinary of ants is the While. Ants or Termites, inha- 

 biting the plains of East India, Africa, and South America. Mr Smeath- 

 man has given in the Philosophical Transactiors, a very complete account 

 of these wonderful creatures. He saysthat they are naturally divided in- 

 to three orders : first, the working insects, which he distinguishes by the 

 name of labourers ; second, the fighters, or soldiers, which perform no 

 other labour than such as is necessary in defence of the nest ; and third, the 

 winged or perfect insects, which are male and female, and capable of multi- 

 plying the species. The latter he denotes the nobility or gentry, because 

 they neither labour nor fight. 



In their nest or hill, for they build on the surface of the ground, the la. 

 bourers are always the most numerous, there being at least a hundred la- 

 bourers for one of the fighting insects, or soldiers. In this state they are 

 about a quarter of an inch in length. 



The second order, or soldiers, differ in fitrure from the labourers. These 



