ANTS AND THEIR HELPLESS CHILDREN 279 
galleries leading into rooms with vaulted ceilings 
(see Fig. 93). In the top part of the nest, made 
chiefly of sticks and leaves, together with dried seeds 
and often little stones and shells, these galleries 
appear very confused, though with a little care they 
may be traced by the tiny beams of wood, and the 
blades of grass and leaves forming the rafters of the 
Fig. 93- 
Section of an Ants' Nest. — Adapted from Figuier, 
g. Gallery ; c, cocoons in a vaulted chamber ; /, larvse or young 
ant-grubs. 
ceilings ; but, down below, where the ground is firm 
though still mixed with other material, the roads are 
clearer and the chambers larger. 
Here active busy work is going on. Deep dow r n, 
almost at the bottom of the nest, the queen-ant is 
wandering about with her train of followers, dropping 
tiny eggs as she goes, which the workers pick up 
and arrange in little heaps in the chambers. In 
