Part 2

Natural history is perhaps the most amusing of studies, though not so useful as botany or chemistry. It is curious to observe, however, on the score of utility, that the more minute parts of creation are of infinitely greater importance than the superior creatures in the scale of animal life. A knowledge of entomology is calculated to elicit more for the benefit of man, than an acquaintance with the habits of the larger brutes: the bee, the silk-worm, the cochineal insect, the Spanish fly, &c. &c. are far more essential to our purposes than the lion, the elephant, the rhinoceros, or the bear; even the sheep and the cow, only compete with these insects, as clothiers and victuallers; and the horse is merely physical force, subjected to the direction of the higher animal, man.

If we consider further, how very limited our research has yet been into the micrographick world, we may, without being thought too speculative, lose ourselves in the idea of the immensity of stores that remain to be discovered in the merest particles of animated nature: there is nothing too much to be imagined on the subject. But our business is rather to disclose the remarkable circumstances ascertained by the ingenious M. Huber, than to indulge in theorising; and we therefore proceed to his History of Ants, which we have found so entertaining, that we have no doubt it will furnish more than one interesting paper for our work.

The first chapter treats of the architecture of ants. The various habits of these wonderful insects are amply described; and were we not assured by ocular examination, of the truth of many of the particulars, we could hardly extend our belief to the prodigies related by the author: but we have witnessed so much that we can credit all. To return to the architecture; we find that their habitations, their cities, are not the least curious of their performances. Mr. Huber details the formation of a domicile by the fallow ants, and adds--

"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 guard, whilst the rest either take their repose, or engage in different occupations in the most perfect security.

"I was impatient to know what took place in the morning upon these ant-hills, and therefore visited them at an early hour. I found them in the same state in which I had left them the preceding evening. A few ants were wandering about on the surface of the nest, some others issued from time to time from under the margin of the little roofs formed at the entrance of the galleries: others afterwards came forth who began removing the wooden bars that blockaded the entrance, in which they readily succeeded. This labour occupied them several hours. The passages were at length free, and the materials with which they had been closed scattered here and there over the ant-hill.

"Every day, morning and evening, during the fine weather, I was a witness to similar proceedings. On days of rain, the doors of all the ant-hills remain closed. When the sky is cloudy in the morning, or rain is indicated, the ants who seem to be aware of it, open but in part their several avenues, and immediately close them when the rain commences. It would appear from this they are not insensible of the motive for which they form these temporary closures.

"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 in the earth. Some of its future inhabitants are seen wandering about in search of materials fit for the exterior work, with which, though rather irregularly, they cover up the entrance; whilst others are employed in mixing the earth, thrown up in hollowing the interior, with fragments of wood and leaves, which are every moment brought in by their fellow-assistants; and this gives a certain 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 entire during the whole time of its construction. We soon observe it to become convex; but we should be greatly deceived did we consider it solid. This roof is destined to include many apartments or stories. Having observed the motions of these little masons through a pane of glass which I adjusted against one of their habitations, I am enabled to speak with some degree of certainty upon the manner in which they are constructed."

"I never found, even after long and violent rains, the interior of the nest wetted to more than a quarter of an inch from the surface, provided it had not been previously out of repair, or deserted by its inhabitants."

"The ants 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."

"Those ants who lay the foundation of a wall, a chamber, or gallery, from working separately, occasion now and then a want of coincidence in the parts of the same or different objects. Such examples are of no unfrequent occurrence, but they by no means embarrass them. What follows proves that the workman on discovering his error, knew how to rectify it.

"A wall had been erected with the view of sustaining a vaulted ceiling, still incomplete, that had been projected from the wall of the opposite chamber. The workman who began constructing it, had given it too little elevation to meet the opposite partition upon which it was to rest. Had it been continued on the original plan, it must infallibly have met the wall at about one-half of its height, and this it was necessary to avoid. This state of things very forcibly claimed my attention; when one of the ants, arriving at the place, and visited the works, appeared to be struck by the difficulty which presented itself; but this it as soon obviated, by taking down the ceiling and raising the wall upon which it reposed. It then, in my presence, constructed a new ceiling with the fragments of the former one.

"When the ants commence any undertaking, one would suppose that they worked after some preconceived idea, which indeed would seem verified by the execution. Thus, should any ant discover upon the nest, two stalks of plants, which lie cross-ways, a disposition favourable to the construction of a lodge; or some little beams that may be useful in forming its angles and sides, it examines the several parts with attention, then distributes with much sagacity and address parcels of earth, in the spaces, and along the stems, taking from every quarter materials adapted to its object, sometimes not caring to destroy the work that others had commenced; so much are its motions regulated by the idea it has conceived, and upon which it acts, with little attention to all else around it. It goes and returns, until the plan is sufficiently understood by its companions."

"From these observations, and a thousand similar, I am convinced that each ant acts independently of its companions. The first who conceives a plan of easy execution, immediately gives the sketch of it: others have only to continue what this has begun, judging, from an inspection of the first labours, in what they ought to engage. They can all lay down plans, and continue to polish or retouch their work as occasion requires. The water furnishes the cement they require, and the sun and air hardens the materials of which their edifice is composed. They have no other chisel than their teeth, no other compass than their antennæ, and no other trowel than their fore-feet, of which they make use in an admirable manner, to affix and consolidate the moistened earth."

We have thus some idea of that masonry which erects the abodes familiar to every eye, though the execution may not be familiar to many minds. The second chapter contains an account of the eggs, larvæ pupæs; and here other marvels are unfolded. In the ants nest are males whose sole business is to perpetuate the species and die; females who are waited upon like peeresses in their own right, who neither toil nor spin, but are served by neutrals, labourers, who tend their innumerable eggs, nourish and unfold the larvæ, and in short, do all the duties of mothers, nurses, and menials. The author devised means to observe their internal economy; and he says--

"Let us now open the shutter which conceals from us the interior of the ant hill, and let us see what is passing there.

"Here the pupæ are heaped up by hundreds in their spacious lodges; there the larvæ are collected together, and guarded by workers. In one place, we observe an assemblage of eggs, in another place, some of the workers seem occupied in following an ant of larger size than the rest;--this is the mother, or at least one of the females, for there are always several in each ant-hill:--she lays as she walks, and the guardians, by whom she is surrounded, take up her eggs, or seize them at the very moment of her laying them; they collect them together, and carry them in little heaps in their mouths.[2] On looking a little closer, we find that they turn them continually with their tongues; it even appears, they pass them one after the other between their teeth, and thus keep them constantly moistened. Such is the first _apercu_ which my glazed aparatus offered.

[2] The eggs of ants are so remarkably minute, that there would seem an absolute necessity of their being held together by some glutinous matter, otherwise, it would render the removal of such small bodies in the mandibles of ants almost impossible; the mandibles being so constituted as not to be brought into that close contact necessary for this operation.--T.

"Having directed my close attention to these eggs, I remarked they were of different sizes, shades and forms. The smallest were white, opake, and cylindrical; the largest, transparent, and slightly arched at both ends; those of a middle were semi-transparent. In holding them up to the light, I observed a sort of white oblong cloud; in some, a transparent point might be remarked at the superior extremity; in others, a clear zone above and underneath the little cloud. The largest presented a single opake and whitish point in their interior. There were some whose whole body was so remarkably clear as to allow of my observing very distinctly the rings. In fixing my attention more closely upon the latter, I observed the egg open, and the larva appear in its place."

"I have been enabled to observe through the glasses of my artificial ant-hill, the great care taken of these little worms, which bear also the name of Larvæ. They were generally guarded by a body of ants, who, raised upon their feet, with their abdomen brought between these members, were prepared to cast their venom upon all intruders, whilst here and there, other workers were engaged in clearing the passages, by removing the materials which were out of place: a great number of their companions taking at the same time their repose, and appearing to be fast asleep: but a busy scene occurred at the moment of transporting their little ones to enjoy the warmth of the sun. When the sun's rays fell upon the exterior portion of the nest, the ants, who were then on the surface, descended with great rapidity to the bottom of the ant-hill, struck with their antennæ the other ants, ran one after the other, and jostled their companions, who mounted at the moment under the bell glass, and redescended with the same speed, putting in their turn the whole colony in motion, so that we could observe a swarm of workers, filling up all the passages; but what proved still more their intention by these movements, was, the violence with which the workers sometimes seized, with their mandibles, those who did not appear to understand them, dragging them forth to the top of the ant-hill, and immediately leaving them, to go and seek those still remaining with the young.

"As soon as the ants had intimation of the appearance of the sun, they occupied themselves with the larvæ and pupæ; they carried them with all expedition above the ant-hill, where they left them exposed to the influence of the heat. Their ardour suffered no relaxation; the female larvæ (which are heavier, and much larger than those of the other cast) were carried passages, leading from the interior to the exterior of the ant-hill, and placed in the sun, by the side of those of the workers and males. After remaining there a quarter of an hour, the ants again took them up, and sheltered them from the direct rays of the sun, by placing them in chambers, situated under a layer of straw, which did not entirely intercept the heat.

The workers, after having fulfilled the duties imposed upon them in regard to the larvæ, did not forget themselves; they sought, in their turn, to stretch themselves in the sun, lay upon each other in heaps, and seemed to enjoy some repose, but it was of no long duration. I observed a great number constantly employed on the surface of the ant-hill, and others engaged in carrying back the larvæ, in proportion as the sun declined. The moment of nourishing them being at length arrived, each ant approached a larva, and offered it food. "The larvæ of ants," observes M. Latreille, "resemble, when they quit the egg, little white worms destitute of feet, thick short, and in form almost conical; their body is composed of twelve rings: the anterior part is slender and curved. We remark at the head two little horny pieces or hooks, too distant from each other to be regarded as true teeth; under these hooks we observe four little points or _cils_, two on each side, and a _mamelon_, or tubercular process, almost cylindrical, soft, and retractile, by which the larva receives its food."

FATA MORGANA.

This singular and curious phenomenon, which is occasionally seen near the Bay of Naples, and which is nearly allied to the _mirage_, so well known in the east, was observed in Huntingdonshire, during the late hot weather. The sun was shining in a cloudless sky, and the light vapours arising from the river Ouze, were hovering over a little hill, near St. Noet's when suddenly the village of Great Paxton, its farm-houses, barns, dispersed cottages, and indeed the whole of its beautiful and picturesque scenery were distinctly visible in these vapours, forming a splendid aerial picture, which extended from east to west for several hundred yards. This natural panorama lasted for about ten minutes, and was visible from a neighbouring declivity, about half a mile from Great Paxton.

WONDERS OF NATURE.--ENTOMOLOGY.

ORDER IV.--NEUROPTERA.

Thick in yon stream of light, a thousand ways, Upward, and downward, thwarting, and convolved, The quivering nations sport; till tempest winged, Fierce Winter sweeps them from the face of day. E'en so luxurious men unheeding pass An idle summer life in fortune's shine, A season's glitter! Thus they flutter on From toy to toy, from vanity to vice; Till blown away by death, oblivion comes Behind, and strikes them from the book of life.

The neuroptera, or _nerve-winged_ insects, have four wings, which are membranaceous, naked, and so interspersed with delicate veins, that they have the appearance of beautiful network. Their tail has no sting; but that of the male is frequently furnished with a kind of forceps or pincers. The genera are:--1. _Libellula_, dragon-fly.--2. _Ephemera_, May-fly, or trout-fly, &c.

The _libellula_, or dragon-fly, is an insect of very splendid and variegated colours. It is a large and well known fly, and frequents rivers, lakes, pools, and stagnating waters, in which the females deposit their eggs. The egg, when deposited by the parent in the water, sinks to the bottom, and remains there till the young insect has acquired sufficient maturity and strength to burst from its confinement. The larva, at first small increases to nearly half the size of the perfect fly, by changing its skin at different intervals like the caterpillars of moths and butterflies. The appearance of the little cases containing the rudiments of the wings, at the lower margin of the thorax, denotes its change to the state of pupa. The head of this larva is exceedingly singular, being covered with a mask extending over the whole of the fore part of the head, with cavities in the anterior surface to suit the different prominences of the face to which it is fitted with perfect neatness. Its form is triangular, growing smaller towards the bottom: in the latter part there is a knuckle which fits a cavity near the neck, and on this part it turns as on a pivot. The upper part of this mask is divided into two pieces, which the insect can open or close at pleasure, and it can also let down the whole mask, should occasion require. The inner edges of these two pieces are toothed like a saw, and serve the animal as a pair of forceps to seize and retain its prey. This is the general principle on which these projecting forceps are constructed in the larva of the libellulæ; they differ in shape in the several species, but uniformly act in a similar manner.

These animals generally live and feed at the bottom of water, swimming only occasionally. Their motion in the water can scarcely be called swimming; it is accomplished by sudden jerks repeated at intervals. This motion is not occasioned by their legs, which at this time are kept immoveable and close to the body: it is by forcing out a stream of water from the tail that the body is carried forward, as may be easily perceived by placing them in a flat vessel, in which there is only just water enough to cover the bottom. Here the action of the water squirted from their tail will be very visible; it will occasion a small current, and give sensible motion to any light bodies that are lying on the surface. This action can only be effected at intervals, because after each ejaculation the insect is obliged to take a fresh supply of water. The larva will sometimes turn its tail above the surface of the water, and force out a small stream, as from a little fountain, and with considerable force.

Under the same order is comprehended the _phryganea_, or spring-fly: the caterpillars of this genus live in the water, and are covered with a silken tube. They have a very singular aspect; for, by means of a gluten, they attach to the tubes in which they are enclosed small pieces of wood, sand, gravel, leaves of plants, and not unfrequently live on testaceous animals, all of which they drag along with them. They are very commonly found on the leaves of the water-cress; and, as they are often entirely covered with them, they have the appearance of animated plants. They are in great request among fishermen, by whom they are distinguished by the name of stone or cod-bait. The fly, or perfect insect, frequents running water, in which the females deposit their eggs.

CHEAP AND ELEGANT CARPETS.

On the 6th of September, the Society for the encouragement of national industry at Paris, granted to Mr. Chenavard, (Boulevard St. Antoine, No. 65, Paris) the premium of 1200 francs, which had been promised to the person who could manufacture, at the lowest price, the kind of carpet best calculated for low and damp habitations. The most complete success in the making of this article rewarded the exertions of Mr. C. whose manufacturing ingenuity, in a great variety of branches is well known, and who is particularly celebrated for his rich and tasty _paper and stuff hangings_. Mr. C. has most satisfactorily fulfilled the proposed object of the said Society, and it is asserted impossible better to combine, in that branch of industry, cheapness, elegance and solidity. The new invented article is a sort of varnished felt, far superior to any thing of the kind that was ever manufactured in England, with which stone floors, marbles, mosaics, and even the finest carpets of Persia can be imitated. It is not dearer than the coarsest mats. A square foot of it may be purchased for 4 sols: so that the quantity which is necessary for a room 24 feet by 20, would amount to no more than 48 francs, or about 9 dollars. 14 cents. Mr. C. is now giving his attention to a new kind of winter carpet, which its cheapness and superior qualities will make a valuable acquisition to the lovers of comfort.

From Jacob's Travels.

CULTIVATION OF FLOWERS IN HOLLAND.

After passing through the small town of Liss, the road continued with the sandhills in perfect barrenness till we approached that city; whose entrance is decorated with country seats of considerable magnificence and beautiful flower gardens which supply bulbs to the horticulturists of their own country, as well as furnish the most beautiful specimens of flowers to the rest of Europe.

The attention of the cultivation of flower roots and seeds, independent of the elegance of the pursuit, has by the profits it has brought become an object of some importance. It is the source of prosperity to many respectable families, and in some measure lays all Europe under obligations which are repaid by profit to the cultivators. The number of flower-gardeners is not above twelve or thirteen, but the operations of each are very extensive. It is said, that there are more than twenty acres of land devoted solely to the cultivation of hyacinths, and a large portion to tulips, and other flowers. These flowers are principally sold when in full bloom in Amsterdam, where there is a weekly market on Sunday afternoon, and the whole of Monday; the trade, however, has vastly declined of late years, having sunk in weekly returns from 15,000 to 3,000 florins. The tulip mania which afflicted Holland in the years 1636 and 1637, and which involved so many families in ruin, has long ceased; but in 1730, a hyacinth-mania, inferior to it indeed, but equally ridiculous, prevailed: and speculations were made in those flowers to a considerable extent, so that some single bulbs were sold as high as sixty or seventy pounds. There can be no doubt but the taste for cultivating flower gardens, which has extended itself over almost the whole of Europe, may be traced to this country, which furnishes bulbs and seeds till the intervention of successive wars and their interruptions to communication, induced the other nations to propagate those flowers at home, whose growth was most congenial to their soil and climate.

From Lyman's "Political State of Italy."

A VISIT TO TWO NUNNERIES IN ROME.