curiosity than all the flowers in the world. I quickly removed the tulip, to be the admirer and restorer of that little commonwealth. This was the only thing they wanted; for their policy, and the order observed among them, are more perfect than those of the wisest republics and therefore they have nothing to fear, un less a new legislator should attempt to change the form of their government. : I made it my business to procure them all sorts of conveniencies. I took out of the box every thing that might be troublesome to them; and frequently visited my ants, and studied all their actions. Being used to go to bed very late, I went to see them work in a moonshiny night; and I frequently got up in the night, to take a view of their labours. I always found some going up and down, and very busy: one would think that they never sleep. Every body knows that ants come out of their holes in the day-time, and expose to the sun the corn, which they keep under ground in the night those who have seen ant-hillocks, have easily perceived those small heaps of corn about their nests. What surprised me at first was, that my ants never brought out their corn, but in the night when the moon shone, and kept it under ground in the day-time: which was contrary to what I had seen, and saw still practised by those insects in other places. I quickly found out the reason of it: there was a pigeon-house not far from thence: pigeons and birds would have eaten their coru, if they had brought it out in the day-time: it is highly probable they knew it by experience; and I frequently found pigeons and birds in that place, when I went to it in a morning. I quickly delivered them from those robbers: I frightened the birds away with some pieces of paper tied to the end of a string over the window, As for the pigeons, I drove them away several times; and when they perceived that this place was more frequented than before, they never came to it again. What is most admirable, and what I could hardly believe, if I did not know it by experience, is, that those ants knew some days after that they had nothing to fear, and began to lay out their corn in the sun. However, I perceived they were not fully convinced of being out of all danger for they durst not bring out their wealth all at once, but by degrees, first in a small quantity, and without any great order, that they might quickly carry VOL. II. : F f it away in case of any misfortune, watching, and looking every way. At last, being persuaded that they had nothing to fear, they brought out all their corn, almost every day, and in good order, and carried it in at night. For There is a strait hole in every ant's-nest, about half an inch deep; and then it goes down sloping into a place where they have their magazine, which I take to be á different place from that where they rest and eat. it is highly improbable that an anț, which is a very neat insect, and throws out of her nest all the small remains of the corn on which she feeds, as I have observed a thousand times, would fill up her magazine, and spoil her corn with nastiness. The corn, that is laid up by ants, would shoot under ground, if those insects did not take care to prevent it, They cut off all the buds before they lay it up; and therefore the corn that has lain in their nests, will produce nothing. Any one may easily make this experiment, and even plainly see that there is no bud in their corn. But though the bud be cut off, there remains another inconvenience. That corn must needs swell and rot under ground; and therefore it could be of no use for the nourishment of ants. Those insects prevent that inconvenience by their labour and industry, and contrive the matter so, that corn will keep as dry in their nests as in our granaries. They gather many small particles of dry earth, which they bring every day out of their holes, and place them round to heat in the sun, Every ant brings a small particle of that earth with her pincers, lays it by the hole, and then goes and fetches another. Thus, in less than a quarter of an hour, one may see a vast number of such small particles of dry earth heaped up round the hole. They lay their corn under ground upon that earth, and cover it with the same. They performed this work almost every day, during the heat of the sun: and though the sun went from the window about three or four o'clock in the afternoon, they did not remove their corn and their particles of earth, because the ground was very hot, till the heat was over, If any one should think that those animals should use sand, or small particles of brick and stone, rather than take so much pains about dry earth; I answer, that upon such an occasion nothing can be more proper than earth heated in the sun. Corn does not keep upon sand: besides, a grain of corn that is cut, being deprived of its bud, would be filled with small sandy particles, that could not easily come out. To which I add, that sand consists of such sinall particles, that an ant could not take them up one after another; and therefore those insects are seldom to be seen near, rivers, or in a very sandy ground. As for the small particles of brick or stone, the least moistness would join them together, and turn them into a kind of mastick, which those insects could not divide, Those particles sticking together, could not come out of an ant's-nest, and would spoil its symmetry. When ants have brought out those particles of earth, they bring out their corn after the same manner, and place it round that earth: thus one may see two heaps surrounding their hole, one of dry earth, and the other of corn; and then they fetch out the remainder of dry earth, on which doubtless their corn was laid up. Those insects never go about this work but when the weather is clear, and the sun very hot. I observed that those little animals having one day brought out their corn at eleven o'clock in the forenoon, removed it, against their usual custom, before one in the afternoon the sun being very hot, and the sky very clear, I could perceive no reason for it. But half an hour after, the sky began to be overcast, and there fell a small rain which the ants foresaw; whereas the Almanack had foretold that there would be no rain upon that 'day. I have said before, that those ants which I did so particularly consider, fetched their corn out of a garret. I went very frequently into that garret: there was some old corn in it; and because every grain was not alike, I observed that they chose the best. I know by several experiments, that those little animals take great care to provide themselves with wheat, when they can find it, and always pick out the best; but they can make shift without it. When they can get no wheat, they take rye, oats, millet, and even crumbs of bread, but seldom any barley, unless it be in a time of great scarcity, and when nothing else can be had. Being willing to be more particularly informed of their forecast and industry, I put a small heap of wheat in a corner of the room, where they kept: and to prevent their fetching corn out of the garret, I shut up the window, and stopped up all the holes. Though ants are very knowing, I do not take them to be conjurers, and therefore they could not guess that I had put some corn in that room. I perceived for several days that they were very much perplexed, and went a great way to fetch their provisions. I was not willing for some time to make them more easy; for I had a mind to know whether they would at last find out the treasure, and see it at a great distance, and whether smelling enabled them to know what is good for their nourishment. Thus they were some time in great trouble, and took a great deal of pains: they went up and down a great way looking out for some grains of corn: they were sometimes disappointed, and sometimes they did not like their corn after many long and painful tambles. What appeared to me wonderful was, that none of them came home without bringing something; one brought a grain of wheat, another a grain of rye or oats, or a particle of dry earth, if she could get nothing else. The window, upon which those ants had made their settlement, looked into a garden, and was two stories high. Some went to the farther end of the garden, others to the fifth story, in quest of some corn. It was a very hard journey for them, especially when they came home loaded with a pretty large grain of corn, which must needs be a heavy burthen for an ant, and as much as she can bear. The bringing of that grain from the middle of the garden to the nest, took up four hours; whereby one may judge of the strength and prodigious labour of those little animals. It appears from thence that an ant works as hard as a man, who should carry a very heavy load on his shoulders almost every day for the space of four leagues. It is true those insects do not take so much pains upon a flat ground. But then how great is the hardship of a poor ant, when she carries a grain of corn to the second story, climbing up a wall, with her head downwards, and her backside upwards? None can have a true notion of it, unless they see those little animals at work in such a situation. The frequent stops they make in the most convenient places, are a plain indication of their weariness. Some of them were strangely perplexed, and could not get to their journey's end. In such a case, the strongest ants, or those that are not so weary, having carried their corn to their nest, come down again to help them. Some are so unfortunate as to fall down with their load, when they are almost come home: when this happens, they seldom lose their eorn, and carry it up again. I saw one of the smallest carrying a large grain of wheat with incredible pains: when she came to the box, where the nest was, she made so much haste that she fell down with her load, after a very laborious ramble: such an unlucky accident would have vexed a philosopher. I went down, and found her with the same corn in her paws: she was ready to climb up again. The same misfortune happened to her three times sometimes she fell in the middle of her way, and sometimes higher; but she never let go her hold, and was not discouraged. At last her strength failed her: she stopped; and another ant helped her to carry her load, which was one of the largest and finest grains of wheat that an ant can carry. It happens sometimes, that a corn slips out of their paws, when they are climbing up: they take hold of it again, when they can find it; otherwise they look for another, or take something else, being ashamed to return to their nest without bringing something: this I have ascertained, by taking away the grain which they looked for. All those experiments may easily he made by any one that has patience enough; they do not require so great a patience as that of ants; but few people are capable of it. Thus my ants were forced to make shift for a livelihood, when I had shut up the garret out of which they fetched their provisions. At last, being sensible that it would be a long time before they could discover the small heap of corn, which I had laid up for them, I resolved to shew it to them. In order to know how far their industry could reach, I contrived an expedient, which had the desired success: the thing will appear incredible to those, who never considered, that all animals of the same kind, which form a society, are more knowing than others. I took one of the largest ants, and threw her upon that small heap of wheat. She was so glad to find herself at liberty, that she ran away to her nest, without taking any corn; but she observed it for an hour after all my ants had notice given them of such a provision; and I saw mest of them very busy in carrying away the I had laid up in the room. I leave it to you to judge, whether it may corn |