96 Mr. Smith's Essay on the Genera and 



become known ? Iiow few of the species which inhabit the Conti- 

 nent of Austraha are yet known to us — what knowledge have we 

 of those of Madagascar and the adjacent islands ? New Zealand 

 must also be rich in species belonging to this tribe. 



It is, however, our province in this Essay to describe the species 

 which inhabit the United Kingdom of Great Britain, and we have 

 only glanced at those which inhabit other countries, in order to 

 establish our position, of the important part which these insects 

 must perform ; and consequently, how beneficial must be results 

 of their economy, in the great scheme of beneficence which 

 caused " the earth to bring forth the living creature after his 

 kind," "and every thing that creepeth upon the earth after his 

 kind," "and behold it was very good." 



These interesting insects have at all times attracted the attention 

 of man, and from the remotest periods have served, by their in- 

 dustry and untiring perseverance, to inculcate lessons of the 

 highest moral tendency. The proverb of Solomon is engraven 

 upon the minds of our children from their earliest years ; and 

 although the Ants of northern latitudes do not provide their meat 

 in the summer, and gather their food in the harvest, in the general 

 acceptation of this proverb, still such may be the case in other 

 countries. Be that, however, as it may, the words of the great 

 Hierophant inculcate the necessity of using our unceasing en- 

 deavours to perform with industry the duties assigned to us, in 

 whatever station of life Providence has placed us. 



On the Continent, the Ants have had their monographer in the 

 illustrious Latreille ; the " Hisloire Naturelle des Fourmis," is the 

 text book of Hymenopterists. Since the publication of this work 

 in 1802, no important work on the Ants of Europe appeared 

 until the publication of Dr. Nylander's Monograph on the Ants 

 of Northern Europe : this work will be acknowledged universally 

 as being the most complete and accurate on the European For- 

 micidce. 



In addition, we must also record the labours of Foerster on the 

 Formicaries, and also of Mayr of Vienna; the works of these 

 Entomologists contain descriptions of nearly all the known species 

 of Europe. Mr. Curtis has recently added some species unknown 

 to the authors I have named. Our own countryman, Gould, in 

 1747, published a valuable treatise on these insects : he describes 

 five species of British Ants ; these were all with which he was 

 acquainted, one belongs to the genus Myrmica. The great value 

 of this work is the accuracy with which their habits are described ; 

 as a proof of which may be mentioned, that Gould particularly 



