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Chapter XIV. 



Architecture of Ants. — Mason-Ants. 



All the species of ants are social. There are none 

 solitary, as is the case with bees and wasps. They are 

 all more or less skilful in architecture, some employ- 

 ing masonry, and others being carpenters, wood- 

 carvers, and miners. They consequently afford much 

 that is interesting to naturalists who observe then- 

 operations. The genuine history of ants has only 

 been recently investigated, first by Gould in 1 747, 

 and subsequently by Linnseus, De Geer, Huber, and 

 Latreille. Previous to that time their real industry 

 and their imagined foresight were held up as moral 

 lessons, without any great accuracy of observation ; 

 and it is probable that, even now, the mixture of 

 truth and error in Addison's delightful papers in the 

 Guardian (Nos. 156, 157) may be more generally 

 attractive than the minute relation of careful natu- 

 ralists. Gould disproved, most satisfactorily, the 

 ancient fable of ants storing up corn for winter pro- 

 vision, no species of ants ever eating grain, or feed 

 ing in the winter upon anything. It is to Huber the 

 younger, however, that we are chiefly indebted for 

 our knowledge of the habits and economy of ants ; 

 and to Latreille for a closer distinction of the species. 

 Some of the more interesting species, whose singular 

 economy is described by the younger Huber, have 

 not been hitherto found in this country. We shall, 

 however, discover matter of very considerable interest 

 in those which are indigenous ; and as our principal 

 object is to excite inquiry and observation with re- 

 gard to those insects which may be easily watched 

 in our own gardens and fields, we shall chiefly con- 



