_Oecophylla smaragdina_, a common ant in Eastern Asia, forms shelters on the leaves of trees by curling the edges of leaves and joining them together. In doing this it makes use of an expedient that would not be believed had it not been testified by several competent and independent witnesses. The perfect ant has no material with which to fasten together the edges it curls; its larva, however, possesses glands that secrete a supply of material for it to form a cocoon with, and the ants utilise the larvae to effect their purpose. Several of them combine to hold the foliage in the desired position, and while they do so, other ants come up, each one of which carries a larva in its jaws, applies the mouth of the larva to the parts where the cement is required, and makes it disgorge the sticky {148}material. Our figure is taken from a specimen (for which we are indebted to Mr. E. E. Green) that was captured in the act of bearing a larva. _Formica rufa_, the Red-ant, Wood-ant, or Hill-ant, is in this country one of the best-known members of the Formicidae. It frequents woods, especially such as are composed, in whole or part, of conifers, where it forms large mounds of small sticks, straws, portions of leaves, and similar material. Although at first sight such a nest may appear to be a chaotic agglomeration, yet examination reveals that it is arranged so as to leave many spaces, and is penetrated by galleries ramifying throughout its structure. These mound-nests attain a considerable size when the operations of the industrious creatures are not interfered with, or their work destroyed, as it too often is, by ignorant or mischievous persons. They may reach a height of three feet or near it, and a diameter of twice that extent. The galleries by which the heaps are penetrated lead down to the earth below. From the mounds extend in various directions paths constantly traversed by the indefatigable ants. M‘Cook observed such paths in the Trossachs; they proceed towards the objects aimed at in lines so straight that he considers they must be the result of some sense of direction possessed by the ants; as it is impossible to suppose they could perceive by the sense of sight the distant objects towards which the paths were directed: these objects in the case M‘Cook describes were oak-trees up which the ants ascended in search of Aphides.