0/ A N T S ( 59 
It is alfo obfervable, as a ftrong Confirmation of 
this Sentiment, that abundance of the large Ant- 
Flies, juft before or foon after leaving the Colonies, 
adtually drop theirWings, and except, afinallDiL 
ference in Complexion, which has not yet attained 
its true Clefs, are not to be diftinguifhed from the 
Queens. You may, the latter End of July^ and 
great Part of Augufi , often meet with thefe un¬ 
winged Ants travelling about as it were at Ran¬ 
dom. If you place a Number of large Ant-Flies 
in a Box, the Wings of many of them will, after 
forneTime, gradually fall off likeAutumnal Leaves* 
This Circumftance is peculiar to the large Sort- 
for if you coniine the fmall ones ever fo long^ 
their Wings will continue fixed, >nd cannot be 
feparated without fome Difficulty. Nor is it indeed 
common to all the large Flies | for you may fre¬ 
quently obferve many of them dead, and others 
roving with their Wings on 5 but they make little 
or no Ufe of them in Flight: Whereas the Mal e 
can waft themfelves to confiderabie Difiances. 
The final Caufe of this different Appearance will 
be confidered in another Place. 
\ 
If farther w r e recoiled! the Defcriptions already 
given of the Queens and large Ant-Flies in the 
feveral Colonies, we ftiall find they exceed the 
common 
