THE MOST GIFTED INSECT EACE. 



CHAPTER V. 



THEIR ARCHITECTURE. 



TN" architecture the ants are not so pre-eminently 

 -*- superior as the Termites, or White Ants, as they are 

 wrongly called, but they are wonderful burrowers, and 

 even in our commonest British species the labyrinth of 

 passages and chambers which compose the nest is a marvel 

 to see ; but seeing it is extremely difficult, as the ants, 

 however much they may need light in their predatory or 

 military expeditions, banish it utterly from their homes, 

 and detest it. 



How the ants can find their way through such a com- 

 plicated series of galleries, each being to our eyes exactly 

 similar to all the others, is a mystery. Perhaps they 



