If you would see the ants to advantage — to 

 your own, that is — you must turn over a pasture 

 stone under which one of the species of small 

 yellow ants has its nest. By thus gently remov- 

 ing the roof, if it is a good-sized stone, the 

 whole colony will be in view at once. The red- 

 ant hill presents difficulties. To dig into it or to 

 pull it apart is quite useless, as the earth falls in 

 and nothing is to be seen but a struggling heap of 

 dusty and indignant ants. It rarely happens that 

 such a hill may be built around a small boulder. 

 If this boulder is suddenly and deftly removed, not 

 dragged or rolled aside, but lifted clear of the hill 

 so that the sides of the nest may not be broken in, 

 a remarkable scene is disclosed. 



I have found such an ant hill, and by removing 

 the stone the household was placed on exhibition — 

 but not all its secrets revealed by any means. From 

 several large chambers, now roofless, galleries and 

 corridors radiated in all diredlions. The instant 



94 



