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ance of a negro, which was always most willingly accorded. In eight days the formicary was com pletely peopled, when it was placed out of doors; and next day the legionaries actually made an expedition, and returned with a rich booty of negro pupæ from a neighbouring colony. By raising the shutters with caution, he could now see everything that was going forward in the interior, and he ascertained in this way most of the facts which we have already detailed. Amongst other things of singular interest, he likewise found that there are never any negro males or females in these communities, but male, female, and neuter legionaries; and the female legionary, like other species of ants, is always the foundress of a colony, performing in the first instance all the duties of a labourer, as Latreille observed at Brive before the discoveries of Huber.

Huber concluded his experiments by bringing two legionary armies into immediate combat, by placing his formicary full in front of an advancing column from another encampment. "After a trifling combat," he says, "which took place at the door of the formicary, those in the interior went out in force, when the enemy's column appeared desirous to avoid battle, taking at first another direction, then returning and re-entering their nest. Several ants from

the formicary put themselves in pursuit: some went even as far as the enemy's garrison, where they were retained; two or three only escaped, and these, as I observed, returned in great haste. The entire army now left the formicary, and proceeded to the mixed ant-hill, where I looked forward to a general battle; but when the column had arrived to within a few paces of the entrance, it fell back, with the exception of a small body, composed of about three hundred legionary ants, who continued their route till they reached the ant-hill. The legionaries assembled on

the surface appeared extremely agitated, as if they had foreseen the attack with which they were threatened. The combatants fought body to body; but the strangers threw themselves into a gallery with so much impetuosity that the other could not restrain them. This courageous incursion did not succeed; they all perished, not, however, without making great havoc; for, when I saw the legionaries of the natural ant-hill resume their expeditions, I found their army reduced to one half its original number: the formicary had not suffered so great a diminution*."

*Huber on Ants, p. 328.

CHAPTER XIV.

ON THE COLLECTION AND PRESERVATION OF INSECTS FOR THE PURPOSES OF STUDY.

"I COULD wish," says Addison, in 'The Spectator,' "our Royal Society would compile a body of natural history, the best that could be gathered together from books and observations. If the several writers among them took each his particular species, and gave us a distinct account of its original, birth, and education; its policies, hostilities, and alliances; with the frame and texture of its inward and outward parts,—and particularly those which distinguish it from all other animals,—with their aptitudes for the state of being in which Providence has placed them; it would be one of the best services their studies could do mankind, and not a little redound to the glory of the All-wise Creator*." Now, though we can scarcely consider Addison as a naturalist, in any of the usual meanings of the term, it would be no easy task, even for those who have devoted their undivided attention to the subject, to improve upon the admirable plan of study here laid down. It is, moreover, so especially applicable to the investigation of insects, that it may be more or less put in practice by any person who chooses, in whatever station or circumstances he happens to be placed. Nay, we will go farther; for since it agrees with experience and many recorded instances that individuals have been enabled to investigate and elucidate particular facts, who were quite unacquainted with systematic natural history, we hold it to be un*Spectator, No. 111.

We

deniable that any person of moderate penetration, though altogether unacquainted with what is called natural history, who will take the trouble to observe particular facts and endeavour to trace them to their causes, has every chance to be successful in adding to his own knowledge, and frequently in making discoveries of what was previously unknown. adverted in a former volume to the spider, which M. Pélissan, while a prisoner in the Bastille, tamed by means of music*; and in another place we quoted some observations on hunting-spiders, by the celebrated Evelyn, both of which are strong proofs of our position, and show that though books are often of high value to guide us in our observations, they are by no means indispensable to the study of nature, inasmuch as the varied scene of creation itself forms an inexhaustible book, which even he who runneth may read.' It shall be our endeavour, therefore, in what we shall now add, to point out a few particulars by way of assisting young naturalists to read the book of nature with the most advantage. It will be of the utmost importance, in the study here recommended, to bear in mind that an insect can never be found in any situation, nor make any movement, without some motive, originating in the instinct imparted to it by Providence. This principle alone, when it is made the basis of inquiry into such motives or instincts, will be found productive of many interesting discoveries, which, without it, might never be made. With this, indeed, exclusively in view, during an excursion, and with a little attention and perseverance, every walk-nay, every step-may lead to delightful and interesting knowledge.

In accordance with these views, we advise the young naturalist to watch as far as possible the progress of every insect which he may meet with, from *See Antoine, Animaux Célèbres, i. 24.

the egg till its death, marking its peculiar food, the enemies which prey on it, and the various accidents or diseases to which it may be liable, the latter appearing, to our limited comprehension, to be some of the means appointed by Providence to restrain excessive multiplication. It is obvious that all this may be done (it actually has been done by an illiterate labourer at Blackheath) without knowing the name of the insect observed, or the rank it holds in any particular system. These, however, it may be interesting for the observer to ascertain afterwards, in order that he may compare his own observations with those of other naturalists. At the commencement, therefore, of such investigations, it may be useful, when the name of an insect is unknown, to mark it with some number by way of distinction, till the name (if it have one) given it by systematists be discovered. In our own researches we have found these numeral names-1, 2, 3, or A, B, C,—of considerable use, when we could not readily trace the names we wanted amongst the almost interminable synonymes to be met with in systems of classification.

If we should be asked, what is the best place to find insects, our answer must be every-where-woods, fields, lanes, hedge-rows, gardens: wherever a flower blooms or a green leaf grows, some of the insects which feed on living vegetables will be sure to be found, as will those which feed on decaying leaves and decaying wood be met with wherever these abound. In the waters, again, both running and stagnant, from the rill to the river, and from the broad lake to the little pool formed in a cow's footstep, aquatic insects of numerous varieties may be seen. Winged insects, of countless species, may be seen in the air during their excursions in search of food, or for the purposes of pairing or depositing their eggs, and the

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