HABITATIONS OF ANTS. 573 







and from its summit a number of avenues, carefully excavated 

 like tunnels, lead downwards into the interior, the number of 

 them depending on the population and extent of the nest. Their 

 external apertures are of varied size ; there is sometimes a prin- 

 cipal one at the top ; but there are usually several, of unequal 

 size, which are surrounded by passages arranged with great 

 regularity. In the habitations of many species of Ants, we never 

 find an aperture of sufficient size to allow the entrance of enemies 

 or the passage of rain-water ; the dome being closed on every 

 side, and having only one aperture near the base, which is not 

 unfrequently continued into a serpentine gallery many feet in 

 extent. With the Yellow Ants, however, it is quite different. 

 They stand in crowds on their nests during the day, and seem 

 quite fearless of any disturbance to the interior ; and at night, 

 before retiring to the bottom of their habitation, they close all 

 the apertures with the greatest care. This curious fact was first 

 discovered by Huber, to whom we owe so much of our knowledge 

 of the economy of Bees and Ants. On closely watching the 

 appearance of one of these nests, he found it undergoing an hourly 

 change ; so that the apertures, so spacious in the middle of the 

 day, gradually diminished in size towards the evening, and at 

 night entirely disappeared ; the dome being then closed in every 

 part, and all the Ants being concealed within. In order to 

 accomplish this, the Ants draw little bits of wood into the 

 openings, placing them across the entrance, and sinking the ends 

 in the covering of the hill ; they then fetch others, laying them 

 across the first, and so continue selecting other pieces, smaller 

 and smaller as the work advances towards its accomplishment ; 

 and finally close the opening with bits of dried leaves, and similar 

 materials. In the morning, a few Ants may be seen wandering 

 about the exterior of the nest, the numbers gradually increasing, 

 as others emerge from the interior under the little roofs formed 

 at the entrance of each avenue ; and these soon set to work, and 

 begin to clear away the barricades. This employment continues 

 for hours, until at length the apertures are sufficiently extended; 

 and the materials used in closing them are distributed over the 

 exterior of the nest. This is a daily labour, unless it rains, or 

 the morning threatens rain ; and if rain come on after it has been 

 performed, they hasten to close the apertures as at night. 



The dome contains a number of spacious chambers, communi- 

 cating with each other by galleries ; these chambers, however, 

 are low, irregular in figure, and carelessly constructed ; but they 

 are convenient, nevertheless, for the purpose for which they are 



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