WHITE ANTS i6i 



jecture, I determined to ascertain by direct observation 

 the rate at which these little creatures could erect 

 their mound. For this purpose I had a small stake 

 driven into the path, to mark the position of the nest ; 

 and then I had the entire earth of the mound very 

 carefully removed. I took particular care that none 

 of the ants should be hurt, nor any of the earth get 

 swept into the hole, which, of course, was the entrance 

 to the nest. This done, I sent for a chair, and sat in 

 the shade of a tree to observe what would ensue. 



In a minute or two the ants commenced to reappear. 

 Each ant, as before, carried in his jaws a minute pellet 

 of sandy earth. This he deposited on the ground, at 

 a distance of about six inches from the hole. Each 

 ant deposited his pellet in a different spot, but always 

 at the same distance from the hole ; and thus they 

 presently formed a small ring of pellets, that com- 

 pletely encircled the hole. They worked with such 

 diligence and speed, running out and racing back, that 

 while I sat and looked on the ring of pellets had 

 become as high and broad as a piece of cord ; and the 

 ring, I noticed, was a nearly exact circle. 



The next morning the ring was considerably broader 

 and higher. By the fourth morning a new crater 

 appeared completed ; and this new crater was broader, 

 loftier, in all its dimensions very much exceeding in 

 magnitude the previous crater which I had removed. 

 And it is to be remembered that at this season of the 

 year the ants work outside their nests only during the 

 early hours of the morning, and for a shorter period 

 in the afternoon. This for them immense mound 

 M 



