i; 

 EARTH NESTS OF THE MASON ANTS 



These halls have free communication with each other by 

 galleries made in the same manner. If the materials of the 

 ant-hill were merely interlaced, they would give way too 

 easily and fall into confusion every time the ants attempted 

 to put them right again. This, however, is avoided by their 

 tempering the earth with rain-water, so that it afterwards 

 hardens in the sun and completely and effectually binds to- 

 gether the various substances ; fragments can then be removed 

 without injury to the rest. Besides, it keeps out the rain, 

 and even in the wettest weather I never found the interior 

 of a nest soaked to more than a quarter of an inch from the 

 surface, provided that it had previously been in good repair 

 and not deserted by the inhabitants. 



The ants are extremely well-sheltered in their chambers, 

 the largest of which is near the centre of the buildings. 

 This apartment is much loftier than the rest, and crossed 

 only by the beams that support the ceiling; in it all the 

 galleries terminate, and it forms a common living-room for 

 most of the inhabitants. 



As to the underground portion, it can only be seen when 

 the ant-hill is placed on a slope ; the whole of the interior 

 may then be brought into view by simply raising up the 

 straw roof. The subterranean residence consists of a range 

 of apartments excavated horizontally in the earth." 



NESTS BUILT ENTIRELY OF EARTH 



Several ants build their nests entirely of earth, and 

 deserve to some extent the name of Mason Ants given to 

 them by Huber. 



"There are,'" he says, "several species of mason ants. 

 The earth of which their nests are composed is more or less 

 compact. That employed by ants of a certain size, such as 



no 



