FOR 
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liar properties, and then denominated formic 
acid; but it has lately been ascertained to 
consist of a mixture of acetic and malic 
acids. 
FORMICA, ant, an insect of the hyme- 
noptera class. The generic character is, 
head large, with ditfracted liliform afitenme ; 
mouth with large jaws, and four unequal 
feelers ; thorax narrowed behind, and lur- 
nished with an upright scale ; abdomen sub- 
globose; males and females winged; neu- 
trals apterous ; females and neutrals furnish- 
ed with a concealed sting. According to Tin- 
nitus there are 18 species. The insects of 
this genus live in large societies, somewhat in 
the manner of bees and wasps, and are like 
them divided into males, females, and neu- 
trals, which latter constitute tire great or ge- 
neral assortment, and appear to conduct the 
business of the nest, which is usually placed 
at a small distance from the surface in some 
slight elevation either prepared bv the in- 
sects themselves, or previously formed by 
some other animals, as moles, &c. They 
feed both on animal and vegetable substances, 
devouring the smaller kind of insects, cater- 
pillars, &e. as well as fruits of. different kinds. 
They are particularly attracted by sweets ; 
and for this reason they ascend such trees as 
are infested with aphides, in order to obtain 
tiie saccharine substance discharged by those 
animals ; and hence seems to have arisen the 
idea of their enmity against the genus aphis. 
Some species of ants are furnished with a 
stilly, while others are destitute of that part. 
The largest of the 'European ants is the 
formica herciilanea, or great wood-ant, of a 
chesnut colour, with the abdomen measuring 
two lines or more in length. This species is 
chiefly found in dry woods of pine or fir, 
where it inhabits a large conical nest or hil- 
lock, composed of dry vegetable fragments, 
chiefly of fir-leaves: the nest is internally 
distributed into several paths or tubes, con- 
vorg ng towards the central part, and open- 
ing externally : in the middle or centre re- 
side the young, or larvae, which are nursed by 
the neutral ants, and are occasionally brought ! 
to the surface, in order to be more within the 
influence of the air and sunshine for a certain 
lime, alter which they are again conveyed to 
the bottom or centre. When full-grown, 
they envelop themselves in oval, white, silken 
cases, in which they undergo their change 
into chrysalis, and at length emerge in their 
complete form. 'The males and females are 
winged, and the females are much larger than 
the males. 
The common or black ant, formica nigra 
Tin. is a well-known inhabitant of our fields j 
and gardens, residing in great numbers be- 
neath mole-hills and other elevated spots. It i 
is of a brownish-black colour, and of a glossy j 
or polished surface. The eggs of this species j 
are deposited early in the spring, and are ex- 
tremely small, and of a white colour. From 
these are hatched the larva;, which are of a 
thickish form, destitute of legs, and some- 
what resemble in miniature the maggots of 
wasps and bees. They are carefully nou- 
rished by the neutral or labouring ants (ill ; 
they are arrived at their full growth, when 
they encose themselves in smooth, oval, 
pale-yellow, silken webs or cases, in which 
state they are popularly known by the mis- 
taken title of ant-eggs; the real eggs, as be- j 
fore observed, being white, and extremely 
small. It is generally in the months of June 
and July that the larva; thus enclose them- 
selves. The chrysalis, if taken out of its 
silken case, is of a white colour, and exhibits 
all the limbs of the future animal in an im- 
perfect or contracted state. During the time 
of their remaining as chrysalis, the neutral 
ants attend them with the same care as when 
in their larva state, frequently shifting their 
situation, and placing them at greater or 
smaller elevations, according to the different 
state of the atmosphere. This care of the 
ants in conveying their pupae from place to 
place, seems to have been often mistaken for 
a sedulous industry in collecting grains of 
wheat, which the pupa;, on a cursory review, 
hiuch resemble. 
About the beginning of August the males 
and females may be observed in the nests : 
these differ from the neutrals in being fur- 
nished with wings, and the female is far 
larger than the male, the body equalling in 
size that of the common window-fly, and the 
upper wings being very long and large. At 
this time of the year the males and females 
emigrate in vast numbers; sometimes Hying 
at a considerable height, and sometimes 
creeping along the surface. It is not un- 
common to see them enter houses at this pe- 
riod, attracted by sweets in particular, either 
moist or dry. After the breeding season the 
males live but a very short time, and the fe- 
males return to their nests in order to depo- 
sit their eggs. During the winter this spe- 
cies, like the rest of the European ants, re- 
mains in a state of torpor, without laying up 
provisions for that season, as erroneously sup- 
posed; and during the spring emerges from 
its concealment, and recommences its la- 
bours. 
Ants feed both on animal and vegetable 
substances of various kinds. Their addic- 
tion t.o animal .substances is often turned to 
good account by anatomists, who, when they 
wish to obtain the skeleton of any animal loo 
small or delicate to admit of being prepared 
the usual way, dispose the animal in a pro- 
per position in a small box, with perforations 
in the lid, and deposit it in a large ant-hill; 
in consequence of which, after a certain 
space, the w hole of the softer parts are eaten 
away by these insects, and the skeleton re- 
mains iii its proper position. It is thus that 
very elegant skeletons of frogs, snakes, Ac. 
may be obtained. 
This addiction to animal food in the in- 
sects of the genus formica can hardly be said 
to lie productive of any mischief in the Eu- 
ropean regions ; but in various parts of Ame- 
rica and the West Indian islands the ravages 
committed by ants are incredible. One of 
the chief of these destroyers is the formica 
omnivora of Linnseus, a very small species, 
of a brown or chesnut colour : it is extremely 
voracious, attacking every animal substance 
to which it can gain access. It occurs in va- 
rious parts of Africa as well as in America 
and in the West Indies ; and it is said to be 
so numerous in some districts, that a deer, 
hog, &c. being killed, and left on the ground 
by night, will by the next morning have the 
llesh entirely cleared from the bones, and be 
reduced to a complete skeleton. 
The formica rufa- is black; thorax com- 
pressed; and with legs ferruginous. See 
Plate Nat. Hist. "fig. 203. 
FORRAGE, in the military art, denotes 
hay, oats, barley, wheat, grass, clover, Sec. 
brought into the camp by the troopers for the 
sustenance of their horses. 
FORSKOI1LEA, a genus of the pentagy- 
nia order, in the decaudria class of plants. 
'I he calyx is pentaphyllous, and longer than 
the corolla. There are ten petals spatu- 
lated, i. e. roundish before, with a linear 
base. There are three species, two of them 
annuals, natives of Egypt, the Cape, and Te- 
neriffe. 
I’ORSTERA, a genus of the triandria or- 
der, in the gynandria class of plants. The 
perianthium is double ; the exterior one be- 
neath, three-leaved ; the interior one above, 
and six-cleft ; the corolla tubular. There is 
one species, an herbaceous plant of New 
Zealand. 
FORT, in the military art, a small forti- 
fied place, environed on all sides with a moat, 
rampart, and parapet. Its use is to secure 
some high ground, or the passage of a river, 
to make good an advantageous post, to de- 
fend the lines and quarters of a siege, &c. 
Forts are made of different figures and ex- 
tents, according as the ground requires. 
Some are fortified with bastions, others with 
demi-bastions. Some -again are in form of a 
square, others of a pentagon. A fort differs 
from a citadel, as this last is built to com- 
mand some town. See Fortification. 
FORTIFICATION, may be defined the 
science of military architecture ; and when 
applied to a city, town, or other place, it 
consists in the art of putting any of these in 
such a posture of preparation, by means of 
ramparts, parapets, ditches, and outworks, 
that each individual part defends, and is de- 
fended by, some other parts, so that a small 
number of men can hold out for a consider- 
able time against a multitude. 
When scattered families abandoning a 
wandering and pastoral life, settled in com- 
munities for mutual support, and built towns 
for common advantage, it became necessary 
to think of the means of defence : the trunks 
and branches of trees, and then walls and 
ditches, rudely constructed, were accord- 
ingly the first elements of fortification ; and 
as the art of war was also in its infancy, these 
were sufficient to defeat iiasty attacks, and 
prevent sudden incursions. At length of- 
fensive weapons were invented ; and as the 
assailants had thus acquired a decided ad- 
vantage, it became necessary to employ new 
means to frustrate them. Loop-holes, through 
which the arrows of the besieged might be 
directed with almost unerring certainty, were 
accordingly recurred to ; and at lengthsquare 
towers were made to project from the walls, 
so as to enable the men placed within them 
to scour the ditches and defend the walls. 
In the progress of improvement the outer 
line of these quadrangular masses was made 
to assume a curvilinear direction ; and at the 
present day there still remain numerous (races 
of this mode in all the antient castles in the 
kingdom. 
But as the science advanced towards per- 
fection new advantages were obtained. ; and 
instead ofpresentinga large semicircular por- 
tion of masonry to the enemy, an angle only 
was projected, and such a fortunate disposition 
of the works thereby produced, that no part 
could be attacked with impunity. In process 
of time ramparts were added; and the an- 
tient towers, which had been changed into 
