Growth of Ant Mounds 
81 
192 5 
in a broad band of a foot width about the base. The elongation 
of the mound to the South-east was very evident as well as the 
great steepness of the north slope. The measurements were: 
West 23, East 30, North-south 81, East-west 79, as computed 
from surface measurements of East-west 91/^ and North-west, 
South-east 99. Measured again in the fall, September 10, 1922, 
it was: West 20/^, East 32, width North-south 87, East-west 73. 
The distance around the base of this seventeen year old mound 
was 20 ft. 6 in., the distance up the north slope 3 feet and up the 
long south slope 5 ft. 22 in. The tape over the surface showed a 
distance of 8 feet 4 in. in the North-south direction and 7 ft. 4 in. 
East-west. This being a clear warm day ants were abundant 
upon the mound carrying up and dragging earth pellets toward 
the summit which was conical and closed, in spite of heavy recent 
showers. The mound was recently covered with fresh light earth 
with very many light fluffy cast-off pupa cases lying about as if 
brought up by ants from within the nest. In some parts of the 
circumference of the base there was more than a foot in width 
of dead honeysuckle. Large streams of ants ran to and from a 
tulip tree about twenty feet distant and many up and down the 
tree. Fifty feet to the east were evident several new young 
nests. 
In the next year, 1923, measurements were made July 8, 
when the heighth had fallen, west 19, east 29, east-west 76, 
north-south 84 corresponding to surface distances of 89 and 98 
inches. Apparently the lessened height might have come from 
denudation which added to the diameters. The mound was in 
fine state of preservation, not injured at the top and the ants 
were bringing out earth through holes near the top. The sparse 
grass still present about the upper reaches of the mound did not 
prevent much fine clean earth from rolling down and spreading 
to the south-east. 
The next measurements, January 27, 1924, showed a greater 
depression of the summit, west 16, east 27, north-west-south- 
east 86, north-east-south-west 75. For the first time the angles 
of slope were measured as follows: North 45°, West 45°, East 
40 -38°, longest South-east slope 35°. Other measurements 
were: circumference 20 ft. 2 in., distance over top North-west- 
