420 



INSECTS. 



[Chap. XII. 



These when brought into operation cut out the wood 

 in the same way as a carpenter's double gouge, the teeth 

 being more or less hollowed out within. The female alone 

 is furnished with these powerful instruments. In the 

 males the mandibles are slender as compared with those 

 of the females. The bores of some of these bees are de- 

 scribed as being from twelve to fourteen inches in length. 



Ants. — As to ants, I apprehend that, notwithstand- 

 ing their numbers and familiarity, information is very 

 imperfect relative to the varieties and habits of these 

 marvellous insects in Ceylon. 1 In point of multitude 

 it is scarcely an exaggeration to apply to them the 

 figure of " the sands of the sea." They are every- 

 where ; in the earth, in the houses, and on the trees ; 

 they are to be seen in every room and cupboard, and 

 almost on every plant in the jungle. To some of the 

 latter they are, perhaps, attracted by the sweet juices 

 secreted by the aphides and coccidse. 2 Such is the pas- 



1 Mr. Jerdan, in a series of by the mill — be exposed to the air, 

 papers in the thirteenth volume of it gradually evaporates, yielding a 

 the Annals of Natural History, light-brown residue, like the ordi- 

 has described forty-seven species of nary muscovado sugar of the best 

 ants in Southern India. But M. quality. If not protected, it is 

 Nietner has recently forwarded to presently attacked by ants, and in 

 the Berlin Museum upwards of a short time is, as it were, con- 

 seventy species taken by him in verted into white crystalline sugar, 

 Ceylon, chiefly in the western pro- the ants having refined it by re- 

 vince and the vicinity of Colombo, moving the darker portion, pro- 

 Of these many are identical with bably preferring that part from its 

 those noted by Mr. Jerdan as be- containing azotized matter. The 

 longing to the Indian continent, negroes, I may remark, prefer 

 One (probably Drepanognathus sal- brown sugar to white ; they say 

 tator of Jerdan) is described byM. its sweetening power is greater; 

 Nietner as occasionally " moving by no doubt its nourishing quality is 

 jumps of several inches at a spring." greater, and therefore as an article 



2 Dr. Davy, in a paper on Tro- of diet deserving of preference, 

 pical Plants, has introduced the In refining sugar as in refining salt 

 following passage relative to the (coarse bay salt containing a little 

 purification of sugar by ants : iodine), an error may be committed 



" If the juice of the sugar-cane in abstracting matter designed by 

 — the common syrup as expressed nature for a useful purpose." 



