1770 ANTS' NESTS 305 



ground. The first sort were generally three or four times 

 as large as a man's head ; they were built of a brittle 

 substance, seemingly made of small parts of vegetables 

 kneaded together with some glutinous matter, probably 

 afforded by themselves. On breaking this outer crust in- 

 numerable cells appeared, full of inhabitants, winding in all 

 directions, communicating with each other, as well as with 

 divers doors which led from the nest. From each of these 

 an arched passage led to different parts of the tree, and 

 generally one large one to the ground. This I am inclined 

 to believe communicated with the other kind of house, for 

 as the animals inhabiting both were precisely the same, I 

 see no reason why they should be supposed, contrary to 

 every instance that I know in nature, to build two different 

 kinds of houses, unless, according to the season, prey, etc., 

 they inhabited both equally. 



This second kind of house was very often built near the 

 foot of a tree, on the bark of which their covered ways, 

 though but seldom the first kind of house, were always to 

 be found. It was formed like an irregularly sided cone, and 

 was sometimes more than six feet high, and nearly as much 

 in diameter. The smaller ones were generally flat-sided, 

 and resembled very much the old stones which are seen in 

 many parts of England, and supposed to be remains of 

 Druidical worship. The outer coat of these was 2 inches 

 thick at least, of hard, well-tempered clay, under which were 

 their cells ; to these no doors were to be seen. All their 

 passages were underground, where probably they were 

 carried on till they met the root of some tree, up which they 

 ascended, and so up the trunks and branches by the covered 

 way before mentioned. These I should suppose to be the 

 houses to which they retire in the winter season, as they are 

 undoubtedly able to defend them from any rain that can 

 fall, while the others, though generally built under the 

 shelter of some overhanging branch, must, from the thinness 

 of the covering, be but a slight defence against a heavy rain. 



Thus much for the ants, an industrious race which in all 

 countries have for that reason been admired by man, though 



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