. Marvels of insect life [microform] : a popular account of structure and habit. Insects; Insectes. Marvels of Insect Life. Th« Spinning Ant. Ill iiinsidiririK tlu- ways of ants urn- is iinpand fur almost an\thinK. WV kniiw ttum as criaturts of Kriat risoiircv in many ways ; but by what prixtss one of tliini airiviil at tlii' idia of what is now to be dfstjribid, is a wriat niNsliry. Its an ustomrd naim- is tin' rr<l trie ant,' and in India it is considiri-d one of the chief (jests of a eoiintrv that has a ehoiee assortment of attentive Inseets. Hut, as in the ease of son-e other Inseets t
. Marvels of insect life [microform] : a popular account of structure and habit. Insects; Insectes. Marvels of Insect Life. Th« Spinning Ant. Ill iiinsidiririK tlu- ways of ants urn- is iinpand fur almost an\thinK. WV kniiw ttum as criaturts of Kriat risoiircv in many ways ; but by what prixtss one of tliini airiviil at tlii' idia of what is now to be dfstjribid, is a wriat niNsliry. Its an ustomrd naim- is tin' rr<l trie ant,' and in India it is considiri-d one of the chief (jests of a eoiintrv that has a ehoiee assortment of attentive Inseets. Hut, as in the ease of son-e other Inseets that annoy us by the exercise of theirnatural functions, a little study of their methods is calculated to soften our detestation of them through respect for their cleverness or other admirable <|iialitv. The popular name of red ant is a misnomer, and the scientihc name indicates emcrald-t,'reen as the colour. The real hue of the worker is describe'd as slierr\- brown colour: it is the female to whom the scientific name refers, and there is a (,'o(kI reason why she should be? f;reen, though why the workers should not be of the same colour is not, at present, so clear. They are not stin(;inn ants, so their jaws are the only weapons of defence and offence. The red ant âwhich must not be confused with our British red ant*âis not confined I to India, but is found als(jin ("eyion, New (luinea, and the tropical parts of Australia and Africa. It lives among the foliaKC of trees, and constructs its nests of leaves {{lued or spun together by their edges and tips. In India new nests are begun about July, when a female may be seen sitting in the centre of a leaf brooding as many grubs as she can cover, as shown in the upper part of the picture on page ii. These are the beginning of her family; and at present no attempt is made to construct a nest, because all her efforts are required to feed the grubs. When these have com- pleted their development she has a small company of work
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1910, booksubjectinsects, bookyear1915
