Ants and Termites. 



On a warm sunny morning in summer the surface 

 of the nest will present a scene of great animation, the 

 Wood Ants swarming all over its surface and hurrying 

 hither and thither about their various duties. At* first 

 the busy scene may appear to be more or less an aim- 

 less hurrying to and fro, destitute of reason or useful 

 purpose ; but closer observation, without disturbing or 

 alarming the busy little creatures, will prove this not 

 to be the case. Each individual of the swarming mul- 

 titude is engaged upon its own special duties, carrying 

 out in its own characteristic manner the task it has 

 to perform. 



Should we time our visit at a fairly early hour of 

 the morning, we shall find that a large number of the 

 ants are busily engaged in removing the materials with 

 which the previous afternoon they had closed all the 

 entrances to the nest. One by one the slender pine 

 needles, the tiny twigs, and fragments of leaves are 

 dragged aside, until every doorway stands wide, per- 

 mitting the unimpeded exit and entry of the hurrying 

 workers. Now small bands of ants may be seen issuing 

 from the nest and marching off into the pine wood, 

 some in search of provisions, others to gather fresh 

 supplies of building materials wherewith to increase the 

 size of the dome and to strengthen it. Anon these ants 

 return struggling valiantly under the weight of their 

 burdens, hauling, pulling with might and main, dis- 

 playing the most extraordinary agility and a muscular 

 strength that seems out of all proportion to their 

 diminutive size, making light of burdens many times 

 their own bulk and weight. Some of these labourers will 

 carry the piece of twig, leaf, or other building material 



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