Mason-Ants. 285 



which will track a ship in full sail for weeks together.* The 

 ingenious historian of English ants, Gould, says they never 

 intermit their labours by night or by day, except when com- 

 pelled by excessive rains. It is probable the ancients were 

 mistaken in asserting that they only work when the moon 

 shines ;f for, like bees, they seem to find no difficulty in 

 building in the dark, their subterranean apartments being 

 as well finished as the upper stories of their buildings. But 

 to proceed with the narrative of M. P. Huber. 



" Having thus noticed the movements of these insects 

 during the night, I found they were almost always abroad 

 and engaged about the dome of their habitation after sunset. 

 This was directly the reverse of what I had observed in the 

 conduct of the wood-ants (JF. rw/a), who only go out during 

 the day, and close their doors in the evening. The contrast 

 was still more remarkable than I had previously supposed ; 

 for, upon visiting the brown ants some days after, during a 

 gentle rain, I saw all their architectural talents in full play. 



"As soon as the rain commenced, they left in great 

 numbers their subterranean residence, re-entered it almost 

 immediately, and then returned, bearing between their teeth 

 pellets of earth, which they deposited on the roof of their 

 nest. I could not at first conceive what this was meant for, 

 but at length I saw little walls start up on all sides with 

 spaces left between them. In several places, columns, 

 ranged at regular distances, announced halls, lodges, and 

 passages which the ants proposed establishing ; in a word, 

 it was the rough beginning of a new story. 



"I watched with a considerable degree of interest the 

 most trifling movements of my masons, and found they did 

 not work after the manner of wasps and humble-bees, when 

 occupied in constructing a covering to their nest. The 

 latter sit, as it were, astride on the border or margin of the 



* Dr. Cleghorn, Thesis de Somno. 



t Aristotle Hist. Animal, ix. 38. Pliny says, " Operantur et noctu plen& 

 luna ; eadem interlunio cessant," t. e., They work in the night at full moon, 

 bvit they leave off between moon and moon. It is the latter that we think 

 doubtful. 



