LAYING OUT A NEW STORY 



I soon perceived that the freshness of the air and the dew 

 invited the ants to walk over the surface of the nest, where 

 they began making new openings. Several ants might be 

 seen arriving at the same time, thrusting their heads from 

 the entrance, moving their antennae, and at last venturing 

 out to wander about in the vicinity. 



This reminded me of a curious opinion of the Ancients, 

 who believed that ants laboured during the night when the 

 moon was at its full. Perhaps this belief was not entirely 

 without foundation, for although it is certain that the moon 

 had no kind of influence on their conduct, I perceived that 

 there was a certain amount of truth in the observation. 



Having noticed the movements of these insects during the 

 night, I found that they were almost always abroad and busy 

 about the dome of their dwelling after sunset. This was ex- 

 actly the reverse of what I had observed in the conduct of the 

 wood ants, who go out only in the daytime, and when evening 

 comes close their doors. The contrast was still more remark- 

 able than I had previously supposed, for upon visiting the 

 brown ants some days later during a gentle rain I saw them 

 make full use of their architectural skill 



As soon as it began to rain they left their subterranean 

 residence in great numbers, re-entered it almost immediately, 

 and then returned bearing in their jaws pellets of earth 

 which they deposited on the roof of their nest. At first 

 I could not imagine what this was intended for, but I soon 

 saw little walls start up on all sides with spaces left between 

 them, while in several places columns ranged at regular 

 distances announced halls, lodges, and passages which the 

 ants proposed to construct; it was, in short, the laying 

 out of a new story. 



I watched the most trifling movements of my masons with 

 great interest, and I soon found that they did not work in 



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