OF NATURAL HISTORY. 431 



aflift each other in excavating the earth, and in tranfporting to their 

 habitation bits of draw, fmall pieces of wood, and other fubftances 

 of a fimilar kind, which they employ in lining and fupporting their 

 fubterraneous galleries. The form of their neft or hill is fomewhat 

 conical, and, of courfe, the water, when it rains, runs eafily off, with- 

 out penetrating their abode. Under this hill there are many galle- 

 ries or paflages which communicate with each other» and referable 

 the ftreets of a fmall city. 



The ants not only aflbciate for the purpofe of conftruding a com- 

 mon habitation, but for cherifliing and proteding their offsprings 

 Every perfon muft have often obferved, when part of a neft is fud- 

 denly expofed, their extreme folicitude for the prefervation of their 

 chryfalids or nymphs, which often exceed the fize of the animals^ 

 themfelves. With amazing dexterity and quicknefs the ants tranf- 

 port their nymphs into the fubterraneous galleries of the neft, and 

 place them beyond the reach of any common danger. The courage 

 and fortitude with which they defend their young is no lefs aftonifli- 

 ing. The body of an ant was cut through the middle, and, after 

 fuff"ering this cruel treatment, fo fttong was its parental affeaion^ 

 with its head, and one half of the body, it carried off eight or tea 

 nymphs. They go to great diftances in fearch of pro'vifions. Their 

 roads, which are often winding and involved, all terminate in the 

 neft^ 



The wifdom and forefight of the ants have been celebrated from 

 the remoteft antiquity. It has been aflerted and believed, for near 

 three thoufand years, that they lay up magazines of provifions for 

 the winter, and that they even cut off the germ of the grain to pre- 

 vent it from {hooting. But the ancients were never famed for ac- 

 curate refearches into the nature and operations of infeds. Thefe 

 fuffofed magazines could be of no ufe to the ants ;, for, like the 



marmots 



