ANTS AND ANT LIFE. 89 



down into the ground and have many doors. From these 

 doors go as many neatly levelled tunnels, often yards long, 

 by which the swarms of ants march in, laden with building 

 materials and booty. 



Bingley (p. 180) relates that, in Captain Cook's expedi- 

 tion in New South Wales, they saw ants " as green as a 

 leaf, which live upon trees and build their nests of various 

 sizes, between that of a -man's head and his fist. These 

 nests are of a very curious structure : they are formed by 

 bending down several of the leaves, each of which is as 

 broad as a man's hand, and glueing the points of them 

 together so as to form a purse. The viscous matter used 



for this purpose is an animal juice Their method of 



bending down leaves we had no opportunity to observe ; but 

 we saw thousands uniting all their strength to hold them 

 in this position, while other busy multitudes were employed 

 within, in applying this gluten, that was to prevent their 

 returning back. To satisfy ourselves that the leaves were 

 bent and held down by the efforts of these diminutive arti- 

 ficers, we disturbed them in their work ; and as soon as 

 they were driven from their station, the leaves on which 

 they were employed sprang up with a force much greater 

 than we could have thought them able to conquer by any 

 combination of their strength." The observers were 

 punished for their destructiveness by being severely stung 

 by the ants. A similar account is given by the same ob- 

 servers of two other species, of which one made their nests 

 in branches, like the European wood- ants, the other by 

 hollowing out the roots of living trees. 



