MASON-ANTS. - 263 



and humble-bees, when occupied in constructing a 

 covering to their nest. The latter sit, as it were, 

 astride on the border or margin of the covering, and 

 take it between their teeth to model and attenuate it 

 according to their wish. The wax of which it is 

 composed, and the paper which the wasp employs, 

 moistened by some kind of glue, are admirably 

 adapted for this purpose, but the earth of which the 

 ants make use, from its often possessing little tena- 

 city, must be worked up after some other manner. 



" Each ant, then, carried between its teeth the 

 pellet of earth it had formed by scraping with the 

 end of its mandibles the bottom of its abode, a 

 circumstance which I have frequently witnessed in 

 open day. This little mass of earth, being composed 

 of particles but just united, could be readily kneaded 

 and moulded as the ants wished; thus, when they 

 had applied it to the spot where they had to rest, 

 they divided and pressed against it v/ith their teeth, 

 so as to fill up the little inequalities of their wall. 

 The antennae followed all their movements, passing 

 over each particle of earth as soon as it was placed 

 in its proper position. The whole was then rendered 

 more compact, by pressing it lightly with the fore- 

 feet. This work went on remarkably fast. After 

 having traced out the plan of their masonry, in laying 

 here and there foundations for the pillars and par- 

 titions they were about to erect, they raised them 

 gradually higher, by adding fresh materials. It 

 oftened happened that two little walls, which were to 

 form a gallery, were raised opposite, and at a slight 

 distance from, each other. When they had attained 

 the height of four or five lines, the ants busied 

 themselves in covering in the space left between them 

 bv a vaulted ceiling. 



'• As if they judged all their partitions of sufficient 

 elevation, they then quitted their labours in the 



