308 SECURITY OF THE ANTS. [CH.Vir. 



manent nature of the huts on the Darling ; and it would 

 appear, that different tribes occupy different portions of the 

 river. The Spitting tribe desired our men to pour out the 

 water from the buckets, as if it had belonged to them ; 

 diofoino-, at the same time, a hole in the "round to receive it 

 when poured out ; and I have more than once seen a river 

 chief, on receiving a tomahaAvk, point to the stream, and 

 signify that we were then at liberty to take water from it, 

 so strongly were they possessed with the notion, that the 

 water was their own. 



We saw no kangaroos loAver down than Dunlop's range, 

 neither did we seen any emus. In the red sand-hills were 

 many burrows of the wombat, but these also became scarce, as 

 we proceeded downwards. A species of rat* was remarkable 

 for the ingenious fabric, it raised to secure itself from the 

 native dog, or birds of prey. The structure consisted of a 

 rick or stack of small branches, commonly worked around 

 and interlaced with some small bush, the whole resembling 

 a pile laid for one of the signal fires so much used by the 

 natives. As these heaps of dead boughs drew the attention 

 of our dogs, we at length examined several of them, and 

 always found a small nest in the centre, occupied by the 

 same kind of rat. This animal had ears exactly resembling 

 those of a small rabbit, soft downy wool and short hind 

 legs; indeed, but for the tail, it might have passed for a 

 small rabbit. 



The work of an ant peculiar to the country, also attracted 

 our attention. Instead of a mound, these insects made a 

 habitation or excavation under the surface, about six feet in 

 diameter, and it was quite smooth, level and clean, as if 

 constantly swept. It was also nearly as hard as stone; and 

 the only access to it was by one or two small holes. This 

 surface was, to us, on first advancing into the interior, one of 

 its wonders. Tiius this variety of ant dwells securely at some 



• Conilurus constructor. Utjill/y. 



