liiii .m i^pi^ iSUUiant ifioal) :s>kxiliccvMC, ill. A. ^^M" 89 O) Presented to the LIBRARY of the UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO by aiARON & YiM DMT A HISTORY OF THE EAJITH AND ANIMATED NATURE. BY OLIVER GOLDSMITH. WITH COPIOUS NOTES; ^nti ait ^ppcntiii, CO.NTAIMNC EXPLANATIONS OF TECHNICAL TERMS, AND AN OITLINE Of THE CUVIEKIAN AND OTHER SYSTEMS, BY CAPTAIN THOMAS BROWN, F.L.S., M.W.S., M.K.S. VOL. IV.— PART 11. A. FULLARTON AND CO., EDINBURGH, GLASGOW, AND LONDON. 1S40. RSITY 0 GLASGOW: FIII.LARTON ANIJCO., PNlNTn.RS, VILLA FIBLR. GTiTOT Ji.Sc/3CC. Ujjccox. rj.r^iiort'u (■orniiiu7iis.:!yii^jia,Crabro HortwtWasp.'fApts TetiAsa..6.Sphex viaiica,.6.TerUhredo ScropJzuUiri^.T.Hragen.Ely.SIlph-srroercLTidgaia.. 9J/er .■!/lcoiea.JntJO Ceoi/i^rn. Ffy.Jl Stirps Pfiysapus-lSJchneiimon Mam/hsUUor Pulilisliftllv Ar.-li'^ Fvillai-foii & C° Glisi^oir, Gj.xxi NX -ft ScjU. ''ikfiii,^- Sjiliinx a Ox Oestnis .7 Tritfrical Siaharvu^.S ChnmcUjotFhi P.Tuna Moth h'Lf'an'hriH?^J { itn.^ps,!] JJe/f^auj Ot^ujfvj!. r-ublisb.ei}jy- Aecli'' Fallnrfim i <'.° (3a»s""^ G.i.xxxnr W*>_»' n Sett. p.'nioji CaiaUhui. fi S<.v/ii/I>': 7 Sca],vJ}frn.a/>riifu'd,8 iyiii-u3ri/:J>:- .9rhrt.ip>wrieJ'fnna -nilnMSrnra]^nJiror>iAsMWurlji(itiirrffmijji.?Ji St/r}ivJ)':i3Si'rii;I^UIrUj4Peil('in'iiM-- -alium.lS Virgin. Ocntl^na.l6JiayerLAstrea.l7 InoAfdJ}'! IB-dWl shafed SrHjitppcra 19LaI'yrinth.J£raniJ.ra 2oMushroomJ'ai/anui.?lSitrtpUMiiJreporrz,ZZ I'luJ) s/i.apa/J'nrife.s. I^ihlisheaiyArch^ETLllarTOiL & C? Glase,cnr. CLXXXVJII ted Echaria ^i Mcisw: Cari/oiihiiUu7.0aistaU\irLiitnnhiiia7n':llaaTaned. S Z,:ndi!)craSmn7ar7(i .i> Jjt'M.iomficd-lO TtlusJC Tidnpoi-aJl Shapelss Mdh p orn.r^' Branched 3 ihiiJana /:i J)".)L:n/nifu-d.l4 fyprcss SorUiJiiria l^'D^'Mno infii'd.lo DicJiototna ('aiiipanuhirUi.l/ V'-\MaoniOed IS UirtbiL'iUL lino o a V.'D"Ma,7vmtd '^O Soticorn leUorui ':J T)?Ihii.}iiinc-d i.'2 I'oahi Jdus/ra '.'jSpat Tihi Idit Aiu-jurrtaria iJ iditii-yr !htliot,>iiiariii '.'> Tranvcrsf Tuhuhfoia l.2xxr Il'l-oM' Worm female'. 2 WaturaZ size oFD" 3 Mclk Worm,nude.4]S'atw(Usize,ofD'^ J AnaidaCedMaw Womt female 6 B?male.7 Kound Worm.S Giiitiea, Womh9 Suh cornpre-yfednimi7.daria20Se>xiiof7}''7naanifiedJl&reatStT07iaa7Ms.222foJuraZ' Size- ofD"I3Zorca Thread Worm- Trujj£.14- Vrui.e WomilSXfatwalstxe ofD^U Ih^, SumarvlEchmo caj.9 . IMHisleaty Arcli'^ FuD;ift.m-& C>:' Glasgow-. ILXXSVI W^ %# KScctt- lhi'rL0 Thr^aAL Worm.. femtAl^. ? Ctnunmrt. Tape "Woyjn. .iBrcyad. TapeD" PublisVioil ty \i--cVi^ l-'ulLartou S; C Glasgpow. g:v[^ WmW ^-•-^>v-'-/K ■•.^^^%r*'/;<»t««J^V-t^-^* 6.M(JZ>ivi2l£S Jiamwops . &. Cardaierl.Bat .7.0nj- likeJ K}nn-oh'p}iu,f.8./lcti rii!;li:-\he(llA' Arili^ ftillarton fr C.f Glasgow. G? i (LX\I w .4^ K J.-.'it I Pnmipine. 2 Brazil Poraipinf .3 Jiare. 4 R Piiblisliod by ArcU'^ FiiUm-K'n .<- C? GlaS{;oi4-. ■Hpw G.iri .Sc.'th. i.Huiii.iti sli.l.-tiit.J'Ji' ■^kii/J. ■ .'■kii/1 .-rM.in.InN 4Hii/i,,iti ]n .-isory tt^Mi,. Tia>U-!li--ahv.'if<3i'^I'iiilrir(ojj H.- f ■'i-las.c'ow. Glv i^0t^ ruiv of 1! Uiih^-. -unese /I'rpm Inter/or' o yeu Zeai,ni,ler. / .V''it'J/n//,rn^/,'r S (liiU ib .9 Mo^fo. ' ■•.l*-h--fl V'V Ar-i'!.''-.FiiUii(<>ii A- r■^;!;(-•.<•ov^ Ill / Skeletofi of Great Mastodon. 2 GreaJ: Aiioplotltf^rtmn ,:i S^ai.ft-r Anoplothertmn . 4 Tien.proci^iiiruf Sprmy . % % ^ ^ ^ Publishcaby Arck4 EuHn-Hnn S-C° Glasffow. I U.^OOi iMoodvLcodiea.Z SpiruiiJialilJiea .3 JJ-: rotUohdfUa ll-hhin.t Ihinothrrts. 3 Dovhh Spuud O'Vioplax .6 Hau-ii Fihoiuuis? Four Jionied Spif ff l'a>]unj.': OiiIj 9 Toothed J\mtuliJO Wtbxkledrortunus.U VaneaatedPcrtuinanus.lS Toothed Coiystej^ i'nli3is]ied hy Arcli'^ r-iiUttrton & i""-' Lilasjinw-. mi \ DIRECTIONS TO THE BINDER. VOL. i. J'late. Portrait, Goldsniitli, to face Title. 1. Fossils, 2. Do. 3. Do. Mountains, 5. Men, 4. Skulls, &c. 19. Horse, &c. 20. Zebra, &c. 2i. Buffalo. &c 23. Goat kind, 17.* 22. Antelope, &c. Stag, 8a;. 21.* 16.* Peccary, Rat kind, 13 Cat kind. 12. Lion, &c. 10. 11. Dogs, Wolves, &c. 14. 9. Hyaena, &c. Weasel, 16. 15. Porcupine, &c Beaver, &c. VOL. U. Page. 28 3i 38 99 387 411 4C6 509 511 23 33 61 121 125 130 138 194 227 249 252 291 304 Plate. Page. 15.* Kangaroo, &c. - - - . 325 C* Bat kind, - - - _ 368 5.* Cliimpanse, &c. - - - . 400 6. Orang Outang, ... 404 5." Mandrill, - - . - - 425 14.* Coati, &c. - - _ . 4,17 17. Elephant, - . ■ _ . 457 18. Wild Boar, &c. - . - . 4^8 21. Camel, - - . - - 601 8. Brown Bear, - - - - 619 7. Hedgehog, &c. - - . - 526 VOL. III. 40. Ostrich, &c. - - - . 29 41. Cassowary, &c. - - - - • 39 26. Eagle, &c. - - - . 53 26.* Kestrel, Sic. .... 79 28. Owl kind, &c. - . - - 93 39. Peacock, &c. - - . - 111 39* Yacou Guan, &c. - - - 125 37.* Plant Cutter, &c. - - - . 148 30.* African Roller, &c. - - - IG9 37. Woodpecker, &c. - . - . 173 32.* Red-headed Woodjieckcr, &c. - - 179 29.* Creepers, &c. . . _ . 185 29. Bird of Paradise, &c. - - . 186 29.** Paradise Bird, &c - - - - 189 36. Cuckoo, &c. - - - - 191 38. Pigeon, &c. . . - . g06 32. Nightingale, &c. ... 246 S3. Sky-Lark, &c. - - - - 254 37.** Superb Warbler, &c. - - - 263 34. Canary Bird, &c. - - . . 269 42. Crane, &c. - - - - 301 43 Stork, &c. - - - . - 310 39.** Ameiican Jabiera, &c. - - 320 40.* Heron, &c. - - - - . 326 42.* Spoonbill, &c. - - . - 334 44' Woodcock, &c. .... 342 43. Water Hen, &c. - - - 358 47> Pelican, 8sc. .... 3^5 Plate. ^»^^- 48. Solan Goose, &c. . . - 379 47.* Patagonian Penguin, . - - 394 46. Swan, &c. - - - - ^06 25. Whale, &c. - - - - - 461 53. Shark, &c. - - - 490 54. Ray, &c. - - - - - 49^ 55. Sun Fish, &c. - - - - ^18 VOL. IV. 63. Rough Eurynome, &c. ... 2 82. Bloody Leodice, &c. - - - H 62. Geometrical Tortoise, &c. - - - 19 65. Spectacle Snake, &c. - - - 93 63. Alligator, &c. - - - - 115 64. Scollop- Tailed Gecko, &c. - - 173 66. Scorpion, &c. ... - 203 67. Cheese Mite, &c. - - - 219 70. Coccos, &c. - - - - - 247 69. Nepa Cinerea, &c. - - - 274 71. Herb Tipula, &c. - - - - 298 68. Hercules Beetle, &c. - - - 383 85. Maw Worm, &c. - - - - 409 86. Long Thread-Worm, &c. - - 41(1 84. Entomon Idotea, &c. - - - - 410 88. Cellular Retipora, &c. - - - 421 87. Greenland Umhellaria, &c. - - - 425 3.* Human Skeleton, &c. - - - 434 6." Red Noctilio, &c. - - - - 407 17." Genet, &c. - - - - ^98 22.* Malayan Rusa, &c - - - - 511 25.* Terminology of Birds, - - - S2S 27. Caracara Eagle, &c. - - _ - 33, but sel- dom to be met with in the southern parts of the island. Instead of burrow, ing in the ground like the common wasp, or in the hollows of trees like the hornet, it bo dly swings its nest from the extremity of a branch, where it exhibits some resemblance, in size and colour, to a Welsh wig, hung out to dry. We have seen more than one of these nests on the same tree, at Catrine, in Ayrshire, and at Wemyss Bay, in Renfrewshire. The tree which the Britannic wasp prefers is the silver fir, whose broad flat branch serves as a protection to the suspended nest both from the sun and the rain. The materials and structure are nearly the same a-s those employed by the common wasp, and which we have already described. " A singular nest of a species of wasp is figured by Reaumur, but is ap. parenlly rare in this country, a.s Kirby and Spence mention only a single oest of a similar construction, found in a garden at Eact-Dale TIu.5 nest THE WASP. 3;j1 Such is the history of the social wasp ; hut, as among hees> so also among these insects, there are various tribes that live in solitude ; these lay their eggs in a hole for the purpose, and the parent dies long before the birth of its offspring. In the prin- is of a flattfined globular fig^ure, and composed of a great number of en. velopes, so as to assume a considerable resemblance to a half-expanded Provence rose. The British specimen mentioned by Kirby and Spence had only one platform of cells ; Reaumur's had two ; but there was a large vacant space, which would probably have beeu filled with cells, had the nest not been taken away as a specimen. The whole nest was not much larger than a rose, and was composed of paper exactly similar to that em- Dloyed by the common ground-wasp. " niere is another species of social-wasp meriting attention from the sin. gular construction of its nest. It forms one or more terraces of cells, simi- lar to those of the common wasp, but without the protection of an outer wall, and quite exposed to the weather. S\i'ammerdam found a nest of this description attached to the stem of a nettle. Reaumur says that they are sometimes attached to the branch of a thorn or other shrub, or to stalks of grass ; — peculiarities which prove that there are several species of these wasps. " The most remarkable circumstance in the architecture of this species of vespiary is, that it is not horizontal, like those formerly described, but nearly vertical. The reason appears to be, that if it had been horizontal, the cells must have been frequently filled with rain ; whereas, in the posi- tion in which it is placed, the rain runs oft' without lodging. It is, besides, invariably placed so as to face the north or the east, and consequently ia less exposed to rains, which most frequently come with southerly or west- erly winds. It is another remarkable peculiarity, that, unlike the nests of other wasps, it is covered with a shining coat of varnish, to prevent mois. ture from soaking into the texture of the wasp's paper. The laying on this varnish, indeed, forms a considerable portion of the labour of the colony, and individuals may be seen employed for hours together spreading it on with their tongues. " Few circiunstances are more striking with regard to insects, as Kirby and Spence justly remark, than the great and incessant labour which mater- nal alfection for their progeny leads them to undergo. Some of these e.x. ertions are so disproportionate to the size of the insect, that nothing short of ocular conviction could attribute them to such an agent. A wild bee, or a wasp, for instance, will dig a hole in a hard bank of earth some inches deep, and five or six times its own size, labouring unremittingly at this ar- duous task for several days in succession, and scarcely allowing itself a moment for eating or repose. It will then occupy as much time in search. ing for a store of food ; and no sooner is this fini-hed, than it will set aliout repeating the process, and before it dies, will have completed five or six similar cells, or even more — A few observatioin may here be pmperly be- stowed upon the material with which the wasp family construct the inte- rior of their nests. "The wasp is a paper-m:iker, and a most perfect and intelligent one. While mankind wer" arriving by slow degrees, at thi> art of fabricating S52 HISTORY OF cipal species of the Solitarj^- Wasps, the insect is smaller than the vvoiking-wasp of the social kind. The filament by which the corselet is joined to the body, is longer and more distinctly seen, and the whole colour of the insect is blacker than in the tills valuable substance, the wasp was making it before their eyes, by very much the same process as that by which human hands now manufacture it with the best aid of chemistry and machinery. While some nations carved their records on wood, and stone, and brass, and leaden tablets, — others, more advanced, wrote with a style on wax, — others employed the inner bark of trees, and others the skins of animals rudely prepared, — the wasp was manufacturing a firm and durable paper. Even wlien the papyrus was rendered more fit, by a process of art, for the transmission of ideas in writ- ing-, the wasp was a better artisan than the Egyptians; fur the early at. tempts at paper-making were so rude, that the substance produced was almost useless, from being extremely friable. The paper of the papyrus was formed of the leaves of the plant, dried, pressed, and polished; the wasp alone knew how to reduce vegetable fibres to a pulp, and then unite them by a size or glue, spreading the substance out into a smooth and deli, cate leaf. This is exactly the process of paper-making. It would seem that the wasp knows, as the modern paper-makers now know, that the fibres of rags, whether linen or cotton, are not the only materials that can be used in the formation of paper ; she employs other vegetable matters, converting them into a proper consistency by her assiduous exertions. In some re- spects she is more skilful even than our paper-makers, for she takes care to retain her fibres of sufiicient length, by which she renders her paper as strong as slie requires. Many manufacturers of the present day cut their material into small bits, and thus produce a rotten article. One great dis- tinction between good and bad paper is its toughness ; and this difference is invariably produced by the fibre of whicli it is composed being long, and therefore tough ; or short, and therefore friable. " The Avasp has been labouring at her manufacture of paper, from her first creation, with precisely the same instruments and the same materials ; and her success has been unvarying. Her macliinery is very simple, and therefore it is never out of order. She Icarus nothing, and she forgets no- thing. Men, from time to time, lose their excellence in particular arts, and they are slow in finding out real improvements. Such improvements are often the effect of accident. Paper is now manufactured very extensively by machinery, in all its stages; and thus, instead of a single sheet being made by hand, a stream of paper is poured out, which would form a roll large enough to extend round the globe, if such a length were desirable. The inventors of this machinery, Messrs Fourdrinier, it is said, spent the enormous sum of 40,000/. in vain attempts to render the machine capable of determining with precision the width of the roll ; and, at last, accomplished their object, at the suggestion of a bystander, by a strap revolving upon an axis, at a cost of three shillings and sixpence. Such is the diflerence be- tween the workings of human knowledge and experience, and those of animal instinct. We proceed slowly and in the dark — but our course is not bounded by a narrow line, for it seems difficult to say what is the per fectiou of any art ; animals go clearly to a given point — but tliey can go uo rm: wasp. 353 ordinary kinds. But it is not their figure, but the manners ot this extraordinary insect, that claim our principal regard. From the end of May to the beginning of July, this wasp is seen most diligently employed. The whole purpose of its life seems to be in contriving and fitting up a commodious apart- ment for its young one, which is not to succeed it till the year ensuing. For this end it is employed, witli unwearied assiduity, in boring a hole in the finest earth some inches deep, but not much wider than the diameter of its own body. This is but a gallery leading to a wider apartment destined for the convenient lodgment of its young. As it always chooses a giavelly soil to work in, and where the earth is almost as hard as stone itself, the digging and hollowing this apartment is an enterprise of no small labour : for effecting its operations, this insect is furnished with two teeth, which are strong and firm, but not sufficiently hard to penetrate the substance through which it is resolved to make its way. In order therefore to soften that earth which it is unable to pierce, it is furnished with a gummy liquor, which further. We may, however, learn something from their perfect knowledfjo of what is within their range. It is not improbable that if man had at- tended in an earlier state of society to the labours of wasps, he would have sooner known how to make paper. We are still behind in our arts and sciences, because we have not always been observers. If we had watched the operations of insects, and the structure of animals iu genera), with more care, we might have been far advanced in the knowledge of many arts, which are yet in their infancy, for nature has given ns abundance of pat- terns. We have learned to perfect some instruments of sound, by examin- ing the structure of the human ear ; and the mechanism of an eye has sug- gested some valuable improvements in achromatic glasses. " Reaumur has given a very interesting account of the wasps of Cayenne, which hang their nests iu trees. Like the bird of Africa called the Loxia, they fabricate a perfect house, capable of containing many himdreds of their commimity, and suspend it on high out of the reach of attack. But th« Cayenne wasp is a more expert artist than the bird. He is a card-maki-r, — and travellers of veracity agree that the card with which he forms the ex- terior covering of his abode is so smooth, so strong, so uniform in its tex- ture, and so white, that the most skilful manufacturer of this substance might be proud of the work. " The nest of the card-making wasp is impervious to water. It hang> npon the branch of a tree; and those rain.drops which penetrate througii the leaves never rest upon its hard and polished surface. A small opening for the entrance of the insects terminates its funnel-shaped bottom. It is impossible to unite more perfectly the qualities of lightness and strength." — Insect Architecture. Sa mSTOXlY OF it emits upon the place, and which renders it more easily sepa- rable from the rest, and the whole becoming a kind of soft paste, is removed to the mouth of the habitation. The animal's provision of liquor in these operations is, however, soon ex- hausted ; and it is then seen taking up water either from some ueigdbouring flower or stream, in order to supply the defi- ciency. At length, after much toil, a hole some inches deep is formed, at the bottom of which is a large cavity ; and to this no other hostile insect would venture to find its vray, from the length and the narrowness of the defile through which it would be ob- liged to pass. In this the solitary wasp lays its egg, which is destined to continue the species ; there the nascent animal is to continue for about nine months, unattended and immured, and at first appearance the most helpless insect of the creation. But when we come to examine, new wonders offer; no other insect can boast so copiously luxurious a provision, or such con- firmed security. As soon as the mother wasp has deposited her egg at the bot- tom of the hole, her next care is to furnish it with a supply of provisions, which may be offered to the young insect as soon as' it leaves the egg. To this end she procures a number of little green worms, generally from eight to tvi'elve, and these are to serve as food for the young one the instant it awakens into life. When this supply is regularly arranged and laid in, the old one then, with as much assiduity as it before worked out its hole, now closes the mouth of the passage ; and thus leaving its young one immured in perfect security, and in a copious supply of animal food, she dies, satisfied with having provided for a future progeny. When the young one leaves the egg, it is scarcely visible, and is seen immured among a luimher of insects, infinitely larger than itself, ranged in proper order around it, which, however, give it no manner of apprehension. Whether the parent, when she laid in the insect provision, contrived to disable the worms from resistance, or whether they were at first incapable of any, is not known. Certain it is, that the young glutton feasts upon the living spoil without any control ; his game lies at his hand, and he devours one after the other as the calls of appetite in- cite him. The life of the young animal is therefore spent in THE WASI'. 355 the most luxurious manner, till its whole stock of worms is ex- hausted, when the time of its transformation begins to approach ; and then spinning a silken web, it continues fixed in its cell till the sun calls it from its dark abode the ensuing summer. The wasps of Europe are very mischievous, yet they are in- nocence itself when compared to those of the tropical climates, where all the insect tribes are not only numerous but large, vo- racious, and formidable. Those of the West Indies are thicker, and twice as long, as the common bee ; they are of a gray colour, striped with yellow, and armed with a very dangerous sting. They make their cells in the manner of a honey-comb, in which the young ones are hatched and bred. They generally hang their nests by threads, composed of the same substance with the cells, to the branches of trees, and the eaves of houses. They are seen every where in great abundance, descending like fruit, particularly pears, of which shape they are, and as large as one's head. The inside is divided into three round stories full of cells, each hexagonal, like those of a honey-comb. In some of the islands these insects are so very numerous, that their nests are stuck up in this manner, scarce two feet asunder, and the inhabitants are in continual apprehension from their acci- dental resentment. It sometimes happens that no precautions can prevent their attacks, and the pain of their sting is almost insupportable. Those who have felt it, think it more terrible than even that of a scorpion ; the whole visage swells, and the features are so disfigured, that a person is scarcely known by his most intimate acquaintance.* * The Hornet. — This is an insect of a large size. The thorax is black, the fore-part rufous. The extremity of the abdomen is yellow, with tliree l)lack points on each segment. It is chiefly in the hollow trunks of decayed trees that the hornets form their nest. They live collected together in communities, which consist of males, females, and neuters or labourers. Their nest is of a dirty yellow co- lour, &iui usually constructed under the shelter of some out-house, in the liole of an old wall, or more fr;quently in the hollow trunk of some de. cayed tree. The hole of entrance to this nest is oftentimes not more than an inch in diameter. In the spring of the year, those of the females which have survived the winter are reanimated by the warmth of the season, issue from thoir hid- ing-places, and search out a convenient place in which they can establish their nest. When this is found, they commence their first operation by forming a column, of the same materials as tliose which are afterwards era. '.ioG mSTOKV OF CHAP. IV. OF THE ICHNEUMON ILY. Every rank of insects, how voracious soever, have enemies that are terrible to them, and that revenge upon them the injuries done upon the rest of the animated creation. The wasp, as we have seen, is very troublesome to man, and very for- midable to the insect tribe ; but the ichneumon fly (of which there are many varieties) fears not the wasp itself; it enters its retreats, plunders its habitations, and takes possession of that cell for its own young, which the wasp had laboriously built for a dearer posterity. Though there are many different kinds of this insect, yet the most formidable, and that best known, is called the common ichneumon, with four wings, like the bee, a long, slender, black body, and a three-forked tail, consisting of bristles ; the two outermost black, and the middlemost red. This fly receives its name from the little quadruped, which is found to be so destruc- tive to the crocodile, as it bears a strong similitude in its cour- age and rapacity. Though this instrument is, to all appearance, slender and fee- ble, yet it is found to be a weapon of great force and efficacy. There is scarcely any substance which it will not pierce ; and indeed it is seldom seen but employed in penetration. This is the weapon of defence ; this is employed in destroying its prey ; and still more, by this the animal deposits her eggs wherever ployed in tlie other parts of the fabric, but miu-h more compact and solid. A kind of cover is next formed, and then a small comb of hexagonal cells, U'itli their openings domiward, for the purpose of containing their eg,'s, •■aid the grubs which issue from tliem. The eggs are soon hatched, and the mother nourislies her offspring with food which she brings to them from abroad. When the grubs have attained their full size they each spin a silken bed, in which they undergo their me- tamorphoses into pvpce, and afterwards into perfect or Avinged insects. Those first produced are the neuters. These are working insects, or la- oourers ; that is to say, they are from this period occupied in the work of constructing, and in the duty of nourishing the remaining grubs. The fe- males stitl continuing to lay, the family is consequently augmented ; and the nest becoming now too small, necessity requires it to he enlarged. This oj^eralion falls wholly upon the labourers. THE ICHNEUMON FLY. 3J7 she tliiiiks fit to Jay them. As it is an instrument chiefly em- ployed for this purpose, the male is unprovided with such a sting, while the female uses it with great force and dexterity, brandishing it when caught, from side to side, and very often wounding those who thought they held her with the greatest security. All the flies of this tribe are produced in the same manner, find owe their birth to the destruction of some other insect, within whose body they have been deposited, and upon whose vitals they have preyed, till they came to maturity. There is no insect whatever, which they will not attack, in order to leave their fatal present in its body ; the caterpillar, the gnat, and even the spider himself, so formidable to others, is often made the unwilling fosterer of this destructive progeny. About the middle of the summer, when other insects are found in great abundance, the ichneumon is seen flying busily about, and seeking proper objects upon whom to deposit its progeny. As there are various kinds of this fly, so they seem to have various appetites Some are found to place their eggs within the aurelia of some nascent insect, others place them within the nest, which the wasp had curiously contrived for its own young ; and as both are produced at the same time, the young of the ichneumon not only devours the young wasp, but the whole supply of worms which the parent had carefully provided for its provision. But the greatest num- ber of the ichneumon tribe are seen settling upon the back of the caterpillar, and darting, at different intervals, their stings into its body. At every dart they deposit an egg, while the wounded animal seems scarcely sensible of the injury it sustains. In this manner they leave from six to a dozen of their eggs within the fatty substance of the reptile's body, and then fly otf to commit further depredations. In the meantime, the caterpillar, thus irreparably injured, seems to feed as voraciously as before ; does nut abate of its usual activity ; and to all appearance, seems no way affected by the internal enemies that are prejjaring its de- struction in their darksome abode. But they soon burst from their egg state, and begin to prey upon the substance of their prison. As they grow larger, they require a greater supply ; till at last the animal, by whose vitals they are supported, is no longer able to sustain them, but dies ; its whole inside being al- 358 HISTORY OF most eaten away. Jt often happens, however, that it survives thtir worm- state, and then they change into a chrysalis, inclosed in the caterpillar's body till the time of their delivery approaches, when they burst tiieir prisons, and fly away. The caterpillar, however, is irreparably destroyed, it never changes into a chry- salis, but dies shortly after from the injuries it had sustained. Such is the history of this fly, which, though very terrible to the insect tribe, fails not to be of infinite service to mankind. The millions which it kills in a single summer are inconceivable ; and without such a destroyer, the fruits of the earth would only rise to furnish a banquet for the insect race, to the exclusion of all the nobler ranks of animated nature.* CHAP. V. OF THE ANT. Though the number of two-winged flies be very great, and the naturalists have taken much pains to describe their charac- ters and varieties ; yet there is such a similitude in their forms and manners, that in a work like this, one description must serve for all. We now, therefore, come to a species of four- winged insects, that are famous from all antiquity for their social and industrious habits, that are marked for their spirit • The Turner Savage. — The body is black, and the legs and pedicle which connects the abdomen and thorax are yellow. This insect lives in the haunts of men, whom it never willingly oflFeuds; but it is the terror of all the smaller insects. It inhabits holes in the earth on the sides of hills and clift's, and recesses that it forms for itself in the mud walls of cottages and out. houses. The mud-wall of a cottage at Petersburgh, in Northamptonshire, was observed to be frequented by these creatures ; and, on examination, it was found to have been wrought into the appearance of honeycomb by their o perations. The eggs, as in all tlie other species, are deposited by the fe- rn ale in the back part of the cells. These cells are stored Avith insects for food to the larvae as soon as they come into life, and are then filled up. Dr Derham observes, that a species of savage built its ne&t in a little hole of his study window. The cell was coated over with an odoriferous and resinous gum, collected, as he supposed, from some neighbouring fir trees. The insect laid two eggs ; and he soon afterwards observed it carry in mag- gots, some of which were even larger than itself. These it very sagaciousi; sealed up with great carefulness in the nest and then left it. THE ANT. 359 of subordination, that are offered as a pattern of parsimony to the profuse, and of unremitting diligence to the sluggard. In the experiments, however, which have been more recently made, and the observations which have been taken, much of their boasted frugality and precaution seems denied them : the treasures they lay up are no longer supposed intended for future provision ; and the choice they make in their stores, seems no way dictated by wisdom. It is indeed somewhat sur- prising, that almost every writer of antiquity should describe this insect, as labourui^in the summer, and feasting upon the produce during the winter. Perhaps, in some of the warmer climates, where the winter is mild, and of short continuance, this may take place ; but in France and England, these animals can have no manner of occasion for a supply of winter provi- sions, as they are actually in a state of torpidity during that season. The common ants of Europe are of two or three different kinds: some red, some black; some with stings, and others without; such as have stings, inflict their wounds in that man- ner ; such as are unprovided with these weapons of defence, have a power of spurting from their hinder parts an acid pungent liquor, which, if it lights upon the skin, intlames and burns it like nettles. The body of an ant is divided into the head, breast, and belly. In the head the eyes are placed, which are entirely black, and under their eyes there are two small horns or feelers, composed of twelve joints, all covered with a fine silky hair. The mouth is furnished with two crooked jaws, which project outwards, in each of which are seen incisors, that look like teeth. The breast is covered with a fine silky hair, from which project six legs, that are pretty strong and hairy, the extremities of each armed with two small claws, which the animal uses in climb- ing. The belly is more reddish than the rest of the body, which is of a brown chestnut colour, shining as glass, and covered with extremely fine hair. From such a formation, this animal seems bolder and more active, for its size, than any other of the insect tribe, and fears not to attack a creature often above ten times its own magnitude. As soon as the winter is past, in the first fine day in April, the ant-hill, that before seemea a desert, now swarms with new 2 H 2 SGO HISTORY OF life, and myriads of these insects arc seen just awaked from their annual lethargy, and preparing for the pleasures and fatigues of the season. For the first day they never offer to leave the hill, which may be considered as their citadel, but run over every part of it, as if to examine its present situation, to observe what injuries it has sustained during the rigours of winter,' while they slept, and to meditate and settle the labours of the day ensuing. At the first display of their forces, none but the wingless tribe appears, while those furnished with wings remain at the bottom. These are the working ants that first appear, and that are always destitute of wings ; the males and females, that are furnished with four large wings each, are more slow in making their appearance. Thus, like bees, they are divided into males, females, and the neutral or the working tribe. These are all easily distin- guished from each other ; the females are much larger than the males ; the working ants are the smallest of all. The two for- mer have wings ; which, however, they sometimes are divested of; the latter never have any, and upon them are devolved all the labours that tend to the welfare of the community. The female, also, may be distinguished by the colour and structure of her breast, which is a little more brown than that of the com- mon ant, and a little brighter than that of the male. In eight or ten days after their first appearance, the labours of the hill are in some forwardness ; the males and temales are seen mixed with the working multitude, and pursued or pursu- ing each other. They seem no way to partake in the common drudgeries of the state ; the males pursue the females with great assiduity, and in a manner force them to compliance. They remain coupled for some time ; while the males, thus united, suffer themselves to be drawn along by the will of their partners. In the meantime, the working body of the state take no part in their pleasures ; they are seen diligently going from the ant- hill in pursuit of food for themselves and their associates, and of proper materials for giving a comfortable retreat to their young, or safety to their habitation. In the fields of England, ant-hills are formed with but little apparent regularity. In the 1 Mi'uioircs pour scrvir a I'Histoire dcs liisectes piu" Charles d(? Geer. THE ANT. 361 more southern provinces of Europe, they are constructed with wonderful contrivance, and offer a sight highly worthy a natural- ist's curiosity. These are generally formed in the neighbour- hood of some large tree and a stream of water. The one is considered by the animals as the proper place for getting food ; the other for supplying them with moisture, which they cannot well dispense with. The shape of the ant-hill is that of a sugar-loaf, about three feet high, composed of various sub- stances ; leaves, bits of wood, sand, earth, bits of gum, and grains of com. These are all united into a compact body, per- forated with galleries down to the bottom, and winding ways within the body of the structure. From this retreat, to the water, as well as to the tree, in different directions, there are many paths worn by constant assiduity, and along these the busy insects are seen passing and repassing continually ; so that from May, or the beginning of June, according to the state of the season, they work continually, till the bad weather comes on. The chief employment of the working ants, is in sustaining not only the idlers at home, but also finding a sufficiency of food for themselves. They Hve upon various provisions, as well of the vegetable as of the animal kind. Small insects they will kill and devour -. sweets of all kinds they are particularly fond of. They seldom, however, think of their community, till they themselves are first satiated. Having found a juicy fruit, they swallow what they can, and then tearing it in pieces, carry home their load. If they meet with aiv»insect above their match, several of them will fall upon it at once, and, having mangled it, each will carry off a part of the spoil. If they meet, in their excursions, any thing that is too heavy for one to bear, and yet which they are able to divide, several of them will endeavour to force it along, some dragging and others pushing. If any one of them happens to make a lucky discovery, it will immediately give advice to others, and then, at once, the whole republic will put themselves in motion. If in these struggles one of them happens to be killed, some kind survivor will carry him off to a gi-eat distance, to prevent the obstructions his body might give to the general spirit of industry.* * M. Hauhart gives an account of a battle wliicli lie witnessed between two epecies of these iusects— ouc thefonnica rttfa, and the other a little black 2h3 362 HISTORY OK But while they are thus employed in supporting the state in feeding abroad, and carrying in provisions to those that con- tinue at home, they are not unmindful of posterity. After a few days of tine weather, the female ants begin to lay their eggs, Kilt. He saw them approacli in armies composed of their respective swarms, and advancing- towards eacli other in the greatest order. The formica rufa marched xvith one in front, on a line from nine to twelve feet in length, flanked by several corps in square masses, composed of from twenty to sixty individuals. The second species (little blacks), forming an army much more numerous, marched to meet the enemy on a very extended liue, and from one to three individuals abreast. They left a detachment at the foot of their hillock to defend it against any unlooked-for attack. The rest of the army marched to battle, with its right wing supported by a solid corps of several hundred individuals, and the left a wing supported by a similar body of more than a thousand. These groups advanced in the greatest order, and n ithout changing their positions. The two lateral corps took no part in the principal action. That of the right wing made a halt and formed an army of reserve ; whilst the corps which marched iu column on the left ning manceuvred so as to turn the hostile army, and advanced with a hurried march to the liillock of the formica rufa, and took it by assault. Tlie two armies attacked each other and fought for a long time without breaking their lines. At length disorder appeared in various points, and the combat was maintained in detached groups ; and after a bloody battle, which continued from three to four hours, the formica rufa were p\it to flight, and forced to abandon their two hillocks, and go off to establish them, selves at some other point with the remains of their army. The most interesting part of this exhibition, says M. Hanhart, was to see these insects reciprocally making prisoners, and transporting their own wounded to their hillocki. Tlieir devotedness to the wounded was carried so far, that the formica rufa, in conveying them to their nests, allowed themselves to be killed by the ^ttle blacks without any resistance, rather than abandon their precious cliarge. From the observations of M. Huber, it is known that when an ant-hill- ock is taken by the enemy, the vanquished are reduced to slavery, and em. ployed in the interior labours of their habitation. The formica rufa or wood-ant is the largest of onr British ants. It ia called the Hill-ant by Gould, the Fallow-ant by the English translator of Huber, and popularly the Pismire. It invariably lives in or near woods and forests. It may be readily distinguished from other ants by the dusky black colour of its head and liinder parts, and the rusty brown of its middle. The structures reai'ed by this species are often of considerable magnitude, and bear no small resemblance to a rook's nest thrown upon the ground, bottom upwards. The exterior of the nest is composed of almost every transportable mate- rial which the colonists can find in their vicinity ; but the greater portion consists of withered grass and short twigs of trees, piled up in apparent confusion, but with suflicient regularity to render the whole smooth, coni- cal, and sloping towards the base, for the purpose, we may infer, of carry. THE ANT. "(;3 and tbose are as assiduously watched and protected by the work- ing ants, who take upon themselves to supply whatever is want ing to the nascent animal's convenience or necessity. They are carried, as soon as laid, to the safest situation, at the bottom of ing off rain watpr. When within reach of a corn-field, they often also pick up grains of wheat, barley, or oats, and carry them to the nest as building materials, and not for food as was believed by the ancients. The coping which forms the exterior of the wood-ant's nest, though only a small por- tion of the structure, wiiich consists of a great number of interior cliamhers and galleries, with funnel-shaped avenues leading to them, is one of the most essential parts, and we cannot follow a more delightful guide than the younger Huber, in detailing its formation. " The labourers," he says, "of which the colony is composed, not only work continually on the outside of their nest, but, diflering very es-eutially from other species, who willingly rem;un in the interior, sheltered from the sun, they prefer living iu the open air, and do not hesitate to carry on, eveu in oiu' presence, the greater part of their operations. To have an idea how the straw or stubble roof is formed, let us take a view of the ant-hill at its origin, when it is simply a cavity iu the earth. Some of its future inhabi- tants are seen wandering about in search of materials tit for the exterior work, with which, though rather irregularly, they cover up the entrance; whilst others are employed iu mixing the esu'th, thrown up in hollowing the interior, witli fragments of wood and leaves, wliich are every moment brought in by their fellow-assistants ; and this gives a certiiin consistence to the edifice, which increases in size daily. Our little architects leave here and there cavities, where they intend constructing the galleries which are to lead to the exterior, and as they remove in the morning the barriers placed at the entrance of their nest the preceding evening, the passages are kept open during the whole time of its construction. We soon observed the roof to become convex ; but we should be greatly deceived did we con- sider it solid. This roof is destined to include many apartments or stories. Having observed the motions of these little builders through a pane of glass, adjusted against one of their habitations, I am thence enabled to speak with some degree of certainty upon the manner in which they are construct- ed. I ascertained, that it is by excavating or mining the under portion of their edifice, that they form their spacious halls, low indeed, and of heavy Construction, yet sutliciently convenient for the use to wlxich they are ap- propriated, that of receiving, at certain hours of the day, the larvae and pupae. These halls have a free communication by galleries, made in the same manner If the materials of wliich the ant-hill is composed were only iuterlici'd, they would fall into a confused heap every time the ants at- tempted to bring them into regular order. This, however, is obviated by their tempering the earth with rain-water, which, afterwards hardened in the sun, eo completely and effectually binds together the sever;il substances, as to permit the removal of certain fragments from the ant-hill without any injury to the rest ; it, moreover, strongly opposes the introduction of the rain. I never found, even after long and violent rains, the iuterior of the nest wetted to more than a quarter of an incli from the surface, provided it had not been previously out of repair, or deserted by it^ inhabitants. The aul, .364 HISTORY OF their hill, where they are carefully defended from cold and mois- ture. We are not to suppose, that those white substances which we so plentifully find in every ant-hill, are the eggs as newly laid. On the contrary, the ant's egg is so very small, that, are extremely well sheltered in their chambers, the largest of which is placed nearly in the centre of the building ; it is much loftier than the rest, and traversed only by the beams that support the ceiling- ; it is in this spot that all the galleries terminate, and this forms, for the most part, their usual residence. As to the underground portion, it can only be seen when the ant-hill is placed against a declivity ; all the interior may be then readi ly brought in view, by simply raising up the straw-roof. The subterranean residence consists of a range of apartments, excavated in the earth, taking a horizontal direction." Tliere is this remarkable difference in the nest of the wood-ants, that they do not construct a long covert way as if for concealment, as the yellow and the brown ants do. The wood-ants are not, like them, afraid of being stir- prised by enemies, at least diu-ing tlie day, when the whole colony is either foraging in the vicinity or employed on the e.xterior. But the proceedings of the wood-ants at night are well worthy of notice ; and when M. Huber began to study their economy, he directed his entire attention to tlieir night proceedings. " I remarked," says he, " that their habitations changed in appearance hourly, and that the diameter of those spacious avenues, where so many ants could freely pass each other during the day, was, as night approached, gradually lessened. The aperture, at length, totally dis- appeared, the dome was closed on all sides, and the ants retired to the bot^ tom of their nest. In further noticing the apertures of these ant-hills, I fully ascertained the nature of the labour of its inhabitants, of which I could not before even guess the purport ; for the surface of the nest pre- sented such''a constant scene of agitation, and so many insects were occu- pied in carrying materials in every direction, that the movement otfered no other image than that of confusion. I saw then clearly that they were en. gaged in stopping up passages ; and for this purpose, they at first brought forward little pieces of wood, which they deposited near the entrance of those avenues they wished to close ; they placed them in the stubble ; they then went to seek other twigs and fragments of wood, which they disposed above the first, but in a different direction, and appeared to choose pieces of less size in proportion as the work advanced. 'Ihey, at length, brought in a number of dried leaves, and other materials of au enlarged form, with which they covered the roof: an exact miniature of the art of our builders, when they form the covering of any building ? Nature, indeed, seems everywhere to have anticipated the inventions of which we boast, and this is doubtless one of the most simple. Our little insects, now in safety in their nest, retire gradually to the interior before the last passages are closed, one or two only remain without, or concealed behind the doors on g\iard, whilst the rest either take their repose, or engage in different occu. pations in the most perfect security. I was impatient to know what tool place in the morning upon these ant-hills, and therefore visited them at no early hour. I found tliem in the same state in which 1 had left them th preceding evening. A few ants were wandering about on tiic surface of THE ANT. 365 though laid upon a black ground, it can scarcely oe discerned. The little white bodies we see are the young animals in their maggot state, endued with life, long since freed from the egg, and often involved in a cone, w hich it has spun round itself, the nest, some others issued from time to time from under the margrin of their little roofs formed at the entiaiice of the galleries : others afterwards came forth, who began removing the wooden bars that blockaded the en- trance, in which they readUy succeeded. This labour occupied them seve- ral hours. The passages were at length free, and the materials with whid they had been closed, scattered here and there over the ant-hill. Everj day, morning and evening, during the fine weather, I was a witness to si- milar proceedings. On days of rain the doors of all the ant-hills remained closed. When the sky was cloudy in the morning, or rain was indicated, the ants, who seemed to be aware of it, opened but in part their several avenues, and immediately closed them when the rain commenced." The galleries and chambers wljich are roofed in as thus described, are very similar to those of the mason-ants, being partly excavated in the earth, and partly built with the clay thence procured. It is in these they pass the night, and also the colder months of the winter, when they become torpid or nearly so, and of course require not the winter granaries of corn with which the ancients fabulously furnished them. 'i'he Carpenter. Ants, or ants that work in wood, perform much more ex. tensive operations than any of the other carpenter insects. Their only tools, like those of bees and wasps, are their jaws or mandibles; but though these may not appear so cuiiously constructed as the ovipositor file of the tree-hopper, or the rasp and saw of the saw-flies, they are no less efficient in the performance of what is required. Among the carpenter-ants the em- met or jet-ant holds the first rank, and is easily known by being rather less in size than the wood -ant, and by its fine shining black coloiu". It is less common in Britain than the others, though its colonies may occasionally be met with in the trunks of decaying oak or willow trees in hedges. Among the foreign ants, we may mention a small yellow ant of South America, described by Dampier, which seems, from his account, to con- struct a nest of green leaves. " Their sting," he says, " is like a spark of fire ; and they are so thick among the boughs in some places, that one shall be covered with them before he is aware. I'hese creatures have nests on great trees, placed on the body between the limbs : some of their nests are as big as a hogshead. This is their winter haljitation ; for in the wet sea- son they all repair to these their cities, where they preserve their eggs. In the dry season, when they leave their nests, they swarm all over the wood, lands, for they never trouble the savannahs. Great paths, three or four inches broad, made by them, may be seen in the woods, i hey go out light, but bring home heavy loads on their backs, all of the same substance, and equal in size. 1 never ob^^erved any thing besides pieces of green leaves, so big that I could scarcely see the insect for his burden ; yet they would march stoutly, and so many were pressing forward that it was a very pretty sight, for the path looked perfectly green with them." Ants observed in New South Wales, by the gentlemen in the expedition luider Captain Cook, are still more interesting. " Some," we are told, " are 366 HISTORY OF like the silk- worm. The real egg when laid, if viewed through a microscope, appears smooth, polished, and shining, while the maggot is seen composed of twelve rings, and is often larger than the ant itself. — It is impossible to express the fond attach- as green as a leaf, and live upon trees, where they build their nests of vari nus sizes, between tliat of a man's head and his fist Tliese nests are of a very cuiious structure : they are formed by bending down several of the leaves, each of which is as broad as a man's hand, and glueing the points of them together so as to form a purse. The viscous matter used for this pur- pose is au auiraal juice which nature has enabled them to elaborate. An- other sort are quite black, their habitations are the inside of the branches of a tree which tliey contrive to excavate, by working out the pith almost to the extremity of the slenderest twig, the tree at the same time flourishing as if it had no such inmate. A third kind we found nested in the root of a plant, which grows on the bark of trees in the manner of mistletoe, and which they had perforated for that use. This root is commonly as big as a large turnip, and sometimes much bigger. When we cut it we found it inter- sected by innumerable winding passages, all filled with these animals, by which, however, the vegetation of the plant did not appear to have suflered any injury. We never cut one of these roots that was not inhabited, though some were not bigger than a hazel-nut. The animals themselves are very small, not more than half as big as the common red ant in Eng- land. They had stings, but scarcely force enough to make them felt : they had, however, a power of tormenting us in an equal, if not in a greater de- gree ; for the moment we handled the root, they swarmed from innumera- ble holes, and running about those parts of the body that were uncovered, produced a titillation more intolerable than pain, except it is increased to great violence." The species called S>lgar-A)if-? inthe V/est Indies are particularly destruc- tive to the sugar-cane, as well as to lime, lemon, and orange-trees, by ex- cavating their nests at the roots, and so loosening the earth that they are frequently uprooted and blomi down by the winds. If this does not hap- pen the roots are deprived of due nourishineut, and the plants become sickly and die. But the most extraordinary of ants is the While. Ants or Termites, inha- biting the plains of East India, Africa, and South America. Mr Smeath- man has given in the Philosophical Transactiors, a very complete account of these wonderful creatures. He saysthat they are naturally divided in- to three orders : first, the working insects, which he distinguishes by the name of labourers ; second, the fighters, or soldiers, which perform no other labour than such as is necessary in defence of the nest ; and third, the winged or perfect insects, which are male and female, and capable of multi- plying the species. The latter he denotes the nobility or gentry, because they neither labour nor fight. In their nest or hill, for they build on the surface of the ground, the la. bourers are always the most numerous, there being at least a hundred la- bourers for one of the fighting insects, or soldiers. In this state they are about a quarter of an inch in length. The second order, or soldiers, differ in fitrure from the labourers. These Tin; AM". 3G7 merit which the working ants show to their rising progeny. In cold weather they take them in their mouths, but without ofTer- ing them the smallest injury, to the very depths of their habita- tion, where they are less subject to the severity of the season. appear to be sucli insects as have undergone one change towards their per. feet state. They are now nearly half an inch in lengtli, and etiual in size to about fifteen of the labourers. The shape of the head is likewise greatly changed. In the former state the mouth is evidently formed for gnawing, or for holding bodies; but in this state the jaws being shaped like two sharp awls, a I ittli' jagged, are destined solely for piercing or wounding. For tliesa purposes they are well calculated, being as hard as a crab's claw, and placed in a strong horny head, which is lar^jer than all the rest of the body. The insect of the third order, or in its perfect state, is still more remark, able. The head, the thorax, and the abdomen, difler almost in the same parts in the laboruers and soldiers. The animals are also now furnished uith four large brownish transparent wings, by which they are enabled, at the proper season, to emigrate, and to establish new settlements. They are likewise greatly altered in their size as well as figure, and have acquired the powers of propagating the species. Their bodies now measure nearly three quarters of an inch in length ; their wings, from tip to tip, above two inches and a half; and their bulk is equal to that of thirty labourers, or two soldiers. Instead of active, industrious, and rapacious little animals, when they arrive at their perfect state, they become innocent, helpless, and das. tiirdly. Their numbers are great, but their enemies are still more numerous. They are devoured by birds, by every species of aits, by carnivorous rep. tiles, and even by the inhabitants of many parts oT Africa. After such de- vastation, it seems surprising that even a single pair should escape Some, liowever, are so fortunate ; and being found by some of the labouring in. sects, that are continually running about the surface of the ground under their covered galleries, are elected kings and queens over new states ; all those who are not so elected and preserved, certainly perish. The manner in which these labourers protect the happy pair from tlieir innumerable enemies, not only on the day of the massacre of almost all their race, but for a long time after, will, I hope, justify me in the use of the term election. The little industrious creatures immediately enclose them in a small cham- ber of clay suitable to their size, into which at first they leave but one en- trance, large enough for themselves and soldiers to go in and out at, but too little for either of the royal pair to use ; and when necessity obliges them to make more entrances, they are never larger, so that of course, the volun- tary subjects charge themselves with the task of providing for the offspring of their sovereigns, as well as of working and fighting for ihem, until they have raised a progeny capable .at least of dividing the task with them. About this time a most extraordinary change takes place in the queen ; the abdomen begins to extend and enlarge to such an enormous sue, that an old queen will sometimes have it so much increased, as to be nearly twc thousand times the bulk of the rest of her body. It is now of an irregular oblong shape, and is become one vast matrix full of eggs. When these are perfectly formed, they begin to be protruded, and they lome forth so quick. 3(J8 HISTORY OF III a iine day they remove them with the same care nearer tlie surface, where their maturity may be assisted by the warm beams of the sun. If a formidable enemy should come to batter down their whole habitation, and crush them by thousands in ly, that about sixty in a minute, or upwards of eighty thousand in twenty- four hours, are deposited. The eggs are immediateiy tal