Search Results - The Complete Work of Charles Darwin Online

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A793.1 Beagle Library: Kirby, William and Spence, William. 1815-26. An introduction to entomology. 4 vols. London: Longman, Rees, Orme, Brown, and Green. vol. 1. Text

its leaves in a night, a circumstance which has been confirmed to me by Captain Hancocka. Stedman mentions another very large ant, being at least an inch in length, which has the same instinct. It was a pleasant spectacle, he observes, to behold this army of ants marching constantly in the same direction, and each individual with its bit of green leaf in its monthb. The injury thus caused to trees by insects is not confined to the mere loss of their leaves for one season; for it occasions them

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A793.1 Beagle Library: Kirby, William and Spence, William. 1815-26. An introduction to entomology. 4 vols. London: Longman, Rees, Orme, Brown, and Green. vol. 1. Text

and drawings in English frames; the glasses appeared to be uncommonly dull, and the frames covered with dust. On attempting, says he, to wipe it off, I was astonished to find the glasses fixed to the wall, not suspended in frames as I left them, but completely surrounded by an incrustation cemented by the white ants, who had actually eaten up the deal frames and back-boards, and the greater part of the paper, and left the glasses upheld by the incrustation, or covered way, which they had formed

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A793.1 Beagle Library: Kirby, William and Spence, William. 1815-26. An introduction to entomology. 4 vols. London: Longman, Rees, Orme, Brown, and Green. vol. 1. Text

; God permitting this occasionally to take place, not merely with punitive views, but also to show us what mighty effects he can produce by instruments seemingly the most insignificant: thus calling upon us to glorify his power, wisdom, and goodness, so evidently manifested whether he relaxes or draws tight the reins by which a The ship here alluded to was the Albion, which was in such a condition from the attack of insects, supposed to be white ants, that, not the ship been firmly lashed together

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A793.1 Beagle Library: Kirby, William and Spence, William. 1815-26. An introduction to entomology. 4 vols. London: Longman, Rees, Orme, Brown, and Green. vol. 1. Text

Linn 's assertion under M. vomitoria, that three of these flies will devour a dead horse as quickly would a lion. As soon as the various tribes of Musc have opened the way, and devoured the softer parts, a whole host of beetles, Necrophori, Silph , Dermestes, Cholev , and Staphylinid , actively second their labours. Wasps and hornets also come in for their portion of the spoil; and even ants, which prowl every where, rival their giant competitors in the quantity consumed by them; so that in no

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A793.1 Beagle Library: Kirby, William and Spence, William. 1815-26. An introduction to entomology. 4 vols. London: Longman, Rees, Orme, Brown, and Green. vol. 1. Text

of insects into their nests; and I once saw some of the horse-ants dragging away a half-dead snake of about the size of a goose-quilla. Some insects will even attack living animals and make them their prey, thus contributing to keep them within due limits. The common earth-worm is attacked and devoured by a centipede (Scolopendra electrica, L.). Mr. Sheppard saw one attack a worm ten times its own size, round which it twisted itself like a serpent, and which it finally mastered and devoured

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A793.1 Beagle Library: Kirby, William and Spence, William. 1815-26. An introduction to entomology. 4 vols. London: Longman, Rees, Orme, Brown, and Green. vol. 1. Text

they are very fond; and perhaps the good they do is greater than the harm, if their attack be confined to grass that having been undermined by these grubs would soon die: they also dig up the larv of the destructive Tettigonia septendecim, called the American locusta, on which, when in their perfect state, the squirrels are said to grow fatb. The badger, Lesser informs us, will eat beetles; and its kinsman the bear has the character of being very fond of ants and of honey; which last is also

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A793.1 Beagle Library: Kirby, William and Spence, William. 1815-26. An introduction to entomology. 4 vols. London: Longman, Rees, Orme, Brown, and Green. vol. 1. Text

setting of that luminary. As soon as his first rays begun to shine on the exterior of the nest, the ants that are at the top go below in great haste to rouse their companions, whom they strike with their antenn , or, When they do not seem to comprehend them, drag with their jaws to the summit till a swarm of busy labourers fill every passage. These take up the larv and pup Which they hastily transport to the upper part of their habitation, where they leave them a quarter of an hour and then

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A793.1 Beagle Library: Kirby, William and Spence, William. 1815-26. An introduction to entomology. 4 vols. London: Longman, Rees, Orme, Brown, and Green. vol. 1. Text

Nothing can be more curious than the view of the interior of a fully peopled ant's nest in summer. In one part are stored the eggs; in another the pup are heaped up by hundreds in spacious apartments; and in a third we see the larv surrounded by the workers, some of which feed them, while others Keep guard, standing erect upon their hind legs with heir abdomen elevated in the position for ejaculating their acid, than which, gunpowder would not be more formidable to the majority of their foes

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A793.1 Beagle Library: Kirby, William and Spence, William. 1815-26. An introduction to entomology. 4 vols. London: Longman, Rees, Orme, Brown, and Green. vol. 1. Text

of the perfect insect, are the ants unremittingly occupied in the care of the young of the society, and that with an ardour of affectionate attachment to which, when its intensity and duration are taken into the account, we may fairly say there is nothing parallel in the whole animal worldb. Amongst birds and quadrupeds we have instances of affection as strong perhaps while it lasts, but how much shorter the period during which it is exerted! In a month or two the young of the former require no

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A793.1 Beagle Library: Kirby, William and Spence, William. 1815-26. An introduction to entomology. 4 vols. London: Longman, Rees, Orme, Brown, and Green. vol. 1. Text

Another species of ants (F.fusca, L.) are also masons. When they wish to heighten their habitations, they begin by covering the top with a thick layer of clay which they transport from the interior. In this layer they trace out the plan of the new story, first hollowing out little cavities of almost equal depth at different distances from each other, and of a size adapted to their purposes. The elevations of earth left between them serve for bases to the interior walls, which, when they have

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A793.1 Beagle Library: Kirby, William and Spence, William. 1815-26. An introduction to entomology. 4 vols. London: Longman, Rees, Orme, Brown, and Green. vol. 1. Text

whole stages or stories of it made into a sort of papier m ch , with earth and spiders' weba. Some ants form their nests of the leaves of trees. One of these was observed by Sir Joseph Banks in New South Wales, which was formed by glueing together several leaves as large as a hand. To keep these leaves in a proper position, thousands of ants united their strength, and if driven away, the leaves spring back with great violenceb. THE most profound philosopher, equally with the most incurious of

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A793.2 Beagle Library: Kirby, William and Spence, William. 1815-26. An introduction to entomology. 4 vols. London: Longman, Rees, Orme, Brown, and Green. vol. 2. Text

naturalists, though in some things he was evidently mistaken, I shall abridge for you, correcting him where he appears to be in error, and adding from Latreille, and the MS. of a French naturalist resident on the spot, kindly furnished by W. J. Hooker, esq.a what they have observed with respect to those of Bourdeaux and Ceylon. The white ants, though they belong to the Neuroptera order, borrow their instinct from the hymenopterous social tribes, and in conjunction with the ants (Formica) connect

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A793.2 Beagle Library: Kirby, William and Spence, William. 1815-26. An introduction to entomology. 4 vols. London: Longman, Rees, Orme, Brown, and Green. vol. 2. Text

of the colony. Though at their first disclosure from the pupa they have four wings, like the female ants they soon cast them; but they may then be distinguished from the blind larv , pup , and neuters, by their large and prominent eyesa. The first establishment of a colony of Termites takes place in the following manner. In the evening, soon after the first tornado, which at the latter end of the dry season proclaims the approach of the ensuing rains, these animals, having attained to their

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A793.2 Beagle Library: Kirby, William and Spence, William. 1815-26. An introduction to entomology. 4 vols. London: Longman, Rees, Orme, Brown, and Green. vol. 2. Text

ants, both males and females, at which the fish were every where darting, floating alive upon the surface of the water. While passing the river, these had probably been precipitated into it, either by the wind, or by a heavy shower which had just fallen. And M. Huber after the same event observed the earth strewed with females that had lost their wings, all of which could not form coloniesb. Captain Haverfield, R. N. gave me an account of an extraordinary appearance of ants observed by him in the

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A793.2 Beagle Library: Kirby, William and Spence, William. 1815-26. An introduction to entomology. 4 vols. London: Longman, Rees, Orme, Brown, and Green. vol. 2. Text

none of that spirit of rivalry so remarkable in the queen bee. And here I must close my narrative of the life and adventures of male and female ants; but, as it will be followed by a history of the still more interesting proceedings of the workers, I think you will not regret the exchange. I shall show these to you in many different views, under each of which you will find fresh reason to admire them. My only fear will be lest you should think the picture too highly coloured, and deem it incredible

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A793.2 Beagle Library: Kirby, William and Spence, William. 1815-26. An introduction to entomology. 4 vols. London: Longman, Rees, Orme, Brown, and Green. vol. 2. Text

expeditions in and their emigrations, while I make you a witness of their indefatigable industry and incessant labours, or invite you to be present, during their hours of relaxation, at their sports and amusements. That ants, though they are mute animals, have the means of communicating to each other information of various occurrences, and use a kind of language which is mutually understood, will appear evident from the following facts. If those at the surface of a nest are alarmed, it is wonderful in

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A793.2 Beagle Library: Kirby, William and Spence, William. 1815-26. An introduction to entomology. 4 vols. London: Longman, Rees, Orme, Brown, and Green. vol. 2. Text

neuters which were within the tree running out in crowds to join their companions in the defence of their habitation. The same signals that excited the courage of the neuters produced fear in the males and females, which, as soon as the news of the danger was thus communicated to them, retreated into the tree as to an asylum. The legs of one of this gentleman's artificial formicaries were plunged into pans of water, to prevent the escape of the ants; this proved a source of great enjoyment to these

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A793.2 Beagle Library: Kirby, William and Spence, William. 1815-26. An introduction to entomology. 4 vols. London: Longman, Rees, Orme, Brown, and Green. vol. 2. Text

castle. The discovery was communicated to the whole society, and in a short time the threads were filled with trains of busy workers passing to and froa. Ligon's account of the ants in Barbadoes affords another most convincing proof of this: as he has told his tale in a very lively and interesting manner, I shall give it nearly in his own words. The next of these moving little animals are ants or pismires; and these are but of a small size, but great in industry; and that which gives them

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A793.2 Beagle Library: Kirby, William and Spence, William. 1815-26. An introduction to entomology. 4 vols. London: Longman, Rees, Orme, Brown, and Green. vol. 2. Text

and the body turned endwise, and this is done a foot before they come to the hole, and that without any stop or stay; and this is observable, that they never pull contrary ways. A table being cleared with great care, by way of experiment, of all the ants that were upon it, and some sugar being put upon it, some, after a circuitous route, were observed to arrive at it, when again departing without tasting the treasure, they hastened away to inform their friends of their discovery, who upon this

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A793.2 Beagle Library: Kirby, William and Spence, William. 1815-26. An introduction to entomology. 4 vols. London: Longman, Rees, Orme, Brown, and Green. vol. 2. Text

and aversions. Whether ants, with man and some of the larger animals, experience any thing like attachment to individuals, is not easily ascertained; but that they feel the full force of the sentiment which we term patriotism, or the love of the community to which they belong, is evident from the whole series of their proceedings, which all tend to promote the general good. Distress or difficulty falling upon any member of their society, generally excites their sympathy, and they do their