former case the conical roof is the thatched dome of the heaped-up nest of the intelligent builder, and, in the latter, the conical-shaped bank which forms the upper surface of the subterranean habitation of the ingenious miner. The chambers and corridors of the formic castle, as disclosed in the section, being in each case constituted upon a similar plan. I have found F. rufa acting as a miner by arranging its nest in a bank at Budleigh, Devon, and at Weybridge, Surrey. And I have also discovered an allied species, F. congerens, acting as a miner in a turf bank at Bournemouth. This ant, and also F. exsecta, constitute the two other British species of wood-ant. The former (F. congerens) is the common wood-ant of Bournemouth, and, as a rule, constructs its habitation on the same architectural principles as F. rufa. The common wood-ant (F. rufa) is very rare at Bournemouth. That it is found there I know, since Mr. C. W. Dale has kindly given me a specimen of the queen of this species, which is readily distinguished from F. congerens by its glabrous abdomen, which his father, the late Mr. J. C. Dale, discovered in the locality. A very large nest of F. congerens I discovered on a sloping bank of fern and heather and gorse, on the margin of the running stream which gives the name to this charming retreat on the southern coast. A careful measurement gave the depth at the crown of the nest twelve inches, and eighteen inches down the slope of the bank seven inches across the nest; from the upper part to the base on the declivity seventytwo inches; and a foot from the crown, fifty-three inches The circumference measured eighteen feet and four inches. There were seven entrances through

across.

the cleverly-arranged thatch, and as my wife sketched the nest, we watched the busy workers arranging the trellis at the entrances with narrow sticks and the long pine-needles of the Scotch fir for doors and shutters.

This species is very difficult to distinguish from the common rufa. It is more pubescent, and the abdomen of the male and female is not so shining as is that of the more familiar species. Besides Bournemouth, it has been met with at Loch Rannoch, in Perthshire, and other localities. The third wood-ant, F. exsecta, seems to belong almost exclusively to Bournemouth and its neighbourhood, having been discovered also at Poole and on the outskirts of the New Forest, near Ringwood, by myself, on the heathy carpet of the neighbouring woods, its interesting nest rising up gracefully from the heather. The thatched dome is very much smaller than that of the two other species, and formed of little bits of grass, fern-frond, and ling.

I discovered a little nest at Boscombe, near Bournemouth, the dome of which was charmingly situated among the heath and the bracken, and measured in circumference thirty-two inches, and in height only three inches. F. exsecta is a brilliant ant, having a blood-red thorax and legs, the occiput widely notched, and the scale of it is smaller than the two allied species. Mr. F. Smith1 endeavoured to establish a colony in his garden at Islington, which he transported safely from Bournemouth, but unhappily his intentions were frustrated by the common garden ant, F. nigra, who resented the trespass upon what it doubtless considered its own rightful domain, and in strong force attacked and stormed exsecta's lillipu1 See Ent. Annual, 1869, pp. 70, 71.

tian castle, and took the whole garrison prisoners, forming a triumphal procession from the citadel to its subterranean stronghold, each warrior of F. nigra bearing in its mandibles a captive exsecta. Strange to say, not a single member of the captured garrison

FIG. 36.-Nest of Formica exsecta, Boscombe, near Bournemouth.

ever reappeared, and the inevitable conclusion drawn from the incident was, that the conquerors devoured their luckless prisoners, and not, as Mr. Smith had hoped, that he had discovered F. nigra (L. niger) in the act of conducting a slave-making expedition.

CHAPTER XVIII.

F. rufa and F. sanguinea take in Lodgers-Distinct Species found in the Nests of other Ants also-The Jet Ant both a Carpenter and Wood-carver; sometimes a Miner-The Garden Ant discovered to be a Wood-carver-The Author also discovers F. umbrata (L. umbratus) as a Wood-carver and Carpenter-The Plasterer and Tent-maker from Sierra Leone-The Umbrella Ant-The ThornNests of Pseudomyrma modesta from Panama-The "Bull Dog" Ants in South Australia-The Driver Ant of Africa.

WE have noticed in a previous chapter, while investigating the domestic arrangements of F. sanguinea, how its mansion is sometimes transformed into an hotel, this enterprising ant, with the help of its sable dependants, offering accommodation to many other species, who seem well satisfied with their comfortable quarters. F. rufa takes in lodgers also. I have already called attention to the presence of a small party of F. flava in the commodious domicile of F. rufa in the valley of the Horner. You must know that a very distinct species of ant, palereddish, smooth and shining, is found in the nests of F. rufa and F. congerens. I have only heard of its being discovered in association with F. rufa in this country. They have been found in the nests of F. rufa in some abundance at Weybridge. The name

I have

of the species is Stenamma Westwoodii. already referred to the rare ant, Tetramorium lippula, which I found at Lynmouth in the year 1878, and many years before, when I first began my researches, in a nest of F. umbrata, at Charlton, Kent. Others have found it in association with the jet ant (F. fuliginosa). The jet ant is both a carpenter and wood-carver. It fashions the chambers and colonnades of its beautiful habitation in the heart of foresttrees. I have already mentioned having found a strong colony established in an oak on Hampstead Heath. This ant sometimes departs from its usual habit, and arranges its many-chambered home in the ground.

I have discovered extensive colonies of this species following the trade of a miner in the pleasant copses at Clevedon. It should be noted that when established in a tree, its carved work is always stained black, and I have noticed that when prepared for the cabinet a dark stain is left upon the card on which it is extended. The perfume of this ant is most agreeable, similar to the fragrance of the brilliant and long-horned musk-beetle. Other species adapt themselves to circumstances, and change their trade to meet the peculiar exigences of their surroundings. To give but two illustrations of this change of habit and happy aptitude in ants to adapt themselves to altered conditions of life.

When at Bournemouth in 1876, I sauntered up the valley of the Bourne. I soon reached the outskirts of the pleasure-grounds, entered upon the open heath, and came upon the sunny bank near the spot where I discovered the extensive and interesting colony of