THE ANT. 225 



Three kinds in New South Wales. 



go out light, but bring home heavy loads on their 

 backs, all of the same substance, and equal in 

 size. 



There are three different kinds of ants that 

 were observed in New South Wales. Some 

 as green as a leaf, which live upon trees, where 

 they build their nests of various sizes, between 

 that of a man's head and his fist. These nests 

 are of a very curious structure: they are formed 

 by bending down several of the leaves, each of 

 which is as broad as a man's hand, and glueing 

 the points of them together, so as to form a purse. 

 The viscous matter used for this purpose .is an 

 animal juice which nature has enabled them to 

 elaborate. 



The second sort are quite black, and their ope- 

 rations and manner of life are not less extraordi- 

 nary. Their habitations are the inside of the 

 branches of a tree, which they contrive to exca- 

 vate by working out the pith almost to the ex- 

 tremity of the slenderest twig ; the tree at the 

 same time flourishing as if it had no such in- 

 mate. These have malignant stings. 



The third kind was found nested in the root 

 of a plant, which grows on the bark of trees in 

 the manner of misletoe. This root is commonly 

 as big as a large turnip, and sometimes much 

 bigger. Though filletl with these animals, the 

 vegetation of the plant did not appear to have 

 suffered any injury. The animals themselves are 

 very small, not more than half as big as the com- 



VOL. VI. NO. 44. 2 F 



