ret. I went very frequently into that garret: There was fome old corn. in it; and because every grain was not alike, I obferved that they chose the best.

I know, by feveral experiments, that thofe little animals take great care to provide themselves with wheat when they can find it, and always pick out the beft; but they can make fhift without it. When

they can get no wheat, they take rye, oats, millet, and even crumbs of bread; but feldom any barley, unless it be in a time of great scarcity, and when nothing else can be had.

Being willing to be more particularly informed of their forecaft and induftry, I put a fmall heap of wheat in a corner of the room, where they kept: and to prevent their fetching corn out of the garret, I fhut up the window, and ftopt all the holes. Though Ants are very knowing, I don't take them to be conjurers; and therefore they could not guess that I had put fome · corn in that room. I perceived for feveral days that they were very much perplexed, and went a great way to fetch their provifions. I was not willing for fome time to make them more eafy; for I had a mind to 'know, whether they would at laft find out the treafure, and fee it at a great diftance; and whether smelling enabled them to know what is good for their nourifhment. Thus they were fome time in great trouble, and took a great deal of pains: They went up and down a great way looking out for fome grains of corn: They were fometimes difappointed, and fometimes they did not like their corn, after many long and painful excurfions. What appeared to me wonderful, was, that none of them came home without bring ing fomething one brought a grain of wheat, another a grain of rye or oats, or a particle of dry earth, if he could get nothing else.

The window upon which thofe Ants had made their fettlement, looked into a garden, and was two ftories high. Some went to the farther end of the garden, others to the fifth ftory, in queft of fome corn. It was a very hard journey for them, efpecially when they came home loaded with a pretty large grain of

corn, which muft needs be a heavy burden for an Ant, • and as much as the can bear. The bringing of that grain from the middle of the garden to the neft, took up four hours; whereby one may judge of the ftrength ' and prodigious labour of thofe little animals. It appears from thence, that an Ant works as hard as a man, who should carry a very heavy load on his fhoul⚫ ders almost every day for the space of four leagues.. "Tis true, thofe infects don't take fo much pains upon a flat ground: But then how great is the hardship of a poor Ant, when he carries a grain of corn to the fecond ftory, climbing up a wall with her head downwards, and her backside upwards? None can have a true notion of it, unless they see those little animals at work in fuch a fituation. The frequent ftops they made in the most convenient places, are a plain indication of their weariness. Some of them were ftrangely perplexed, and could not get to their journey's end. In fuch a cafe, the strongest Ants, or ⚫ those that are not fo weary, having carried their corn to their neft, came down again to help them. Some are fo unfortunate as to fall down with their load, when they are almoft come home: When this happens they feldom lofe their corn, but carry it up. again.

I faw one of the fmalleft carrying a large grain of wheat with incredible pains: When he came to the box where the neft was, fhe made fo much hate that fhe fell down with her load, after a very laborious march: Such an unlucky accident would have vexed a philofopher. I went down, and found her with the ⚫ fame corn in her paws: She was ready to climb up again. The fame misfortune happened to her three ⚫ times. Sometimes fhe fell in the middle of her way,. ⚫ and fometimes higher; but fhe never let go her hold, and was not difcouraged. At laft her ftrength failed her: She ftopt; and another Ant helped her to carry her load, which was one of the largest and finest grains of wheat that an Ant can carry. It happens fometimes, that a corn flips out of their paws, when they are climbing up: They take hold of it again, when 06 they

they can find it; otherwife they look for another, or take fomething clfe, being afhamed to return to their neft without bringing fomething. This I have experimented, by taking away the grain which they looked for. All thofe experiments may easily be made by any one that has patience enough: They do not require fo great a patience as that of Ants; but few people are capable of it.'

IT

The fame Subject continued.

[Guardian, No. 157.]

T has been obferved by writers of morality, that in order to quicken human industry, providence has fo contrived it, that our daily food is not to be procured without much pains and labour. The chace of birds and beafts, the feveral arts of fishing, with all the dif ferent kinds of agriculture, are neceffary fcenes of bu finefs, and give employment to the greatest part of mankind. If we look into the brute creation, we find all its individuals engaged in a painful and laborious way of life, to procure a neceffary fubfiftence for themselves, or thofe that grow up under them: The prefervation of their being is the whole bufinefs of it. An idle man

is therefore a kind of monfter in the creation. All nature is bufy about him; every animal he fees reproaches him. Let fuch a man, who lies as a burden or dead weight upon the fpecies, and contributes nothing either to the riches of the commonwealth, or to the maintenance of himself and family, confider that inftinct with which providence has endowed the Ant, and by which is exhibited an example of induftry to rational creatures. This is fet forth under many furprising inftances in the paper of yesterday, and in the conclufion of that narrative, which is as follows:

Thus my Ants were forced to make a fhift for a livelihood, when I had fhut up the garret, out of which they ufed to fetch their provifions. At laft being fenfible that it would be a long time before they could

• difcover

⚫ discover the small heap of corn, which I had laid up for them, I refolved to fhew it to them.

In order to know how far their induftry could reach, I contrived an expedient, which had good fuccefs: the thing will appear incredible to thofe, who never confidered, that all animals of the fame kind, which ⚫ form a fociety, are more knowing than others. I took one of the largest Ants, and threw her upon that small heap of wheat. She was fo glad to find herself at liberty, that the ran away to her neft, without carrying off a grain; but the obferved it: For an hour after all my Ants had notice given them of fuch a provifion; and I faw most of them very bufy in carrying away the corn I had laid up in the room. I leave it to you to judge, whether it may not be faid, that they have a particular way of communicating their knowledge to one another; for otherwife how could they know, one or two hours after, that there was corn in that place? It was quickly exhaufted; and I put in more, but in a fmall quantity, to know the true extent of their appetite or prodigious avarice; for I make no doubt but they lay up provifions against the winter: We read it in holy Scripture; a thousand experiments teach us the fame; and I don't believe that any experiment has been made that fhews the contrary.

4

I have faid before, that there were three Ants nefts in that box or parterre, which formed, if I may fay fo, three different cities, governed by the fame laws, ⚫ and obferving the fame order, and the fame customs. • However there was this difference, that the inhabi⚫tants of one of thofe holes feemed to be more knowing and industrious than their neighbours. The Ants • of that neft were difpofed in a better order; their corn was finer; they had a greater plenty of provifions; their neft was furnished with more inhabitants, and they were bigger and ftronger: It was the principal and the capital neft. Nay, I obferved that those Ants were diftinguished from the reft, and had fome pre-eminence over them.

Though the box full of earth, where the Ants had • made their fettlement, was generally free from rain;

⚫ yet it rained fometimes upon it, when a certain wind ⚫ blew. It was a great inconvenience for thofe infects: Ants are afraid of water; and when they go a great way in queft of provifions, and are furprized by the rain, they shelter themselves under fome tile, or fomething elfe, and don't come out till the rain is over. The Ants of the principal neft found out a wonderful 'expedient to keep out the rain: There was a small piece of a flat flate, which they laid over the hole of their neft in the day-time, when they forefaw it would rain, and almost every night. Above fifty of thofe little animals, especially the ftrongeft, furrounded that piece of flate, and drew it equally in a wonderful order: They removed it in the morning; and nothing could ⚫ be more curious than to fee thofe little animals about fuch a work. They had made the ground uneven about their neft, infomuch that the flate did not lie flat upon it, but left a free paffage underneath. The Ants of the

two other nefts did not fo well fucceed in keeping out the rain: They laid over their holes feveral pieces ⚫ of old and dry plaifter one upon the other; but they were ftill troubled with the rain; and the next day took a world of pains to repair the damage. Hence it is, that thofe infects are fo frequently to be found ⚫ under tiles, where they fettle themselves to avoid the rain. Their nefts are at all times covered with those tiles, without any incumbrance, and they lay out ⚫ their corn and dry their earth in the fun about the tiles, as one may fee every day. I took care to cover the two Ants nefts that were troubled with the rain: As for the capital neft, there was no need of exercis ing my charity towards it.

M. de la Loubere fays, in his relation of Siam, that in a certain part of that kingdom, which lies open to great inundations, all the Ants make their fettlements upon trees: No Ants nefts are to be feen any where elfe. I need not infert here what that author fays ' about those infects: You may fee his relation.

'Here follows a curious experiment, which I made upon the fame ground, where I had three Ants nests. • I undertook to make a fourth, and went about it in the