the following manner. In a corner of a kind of terrafs, at a confiderable diftance from the box, I found a hole swarming with Ants much larger than all those I had already feen; but they were not fo well provided with corn, nor under fo good a government. I made · a hole in the box like that of an Ant's neft, and laid, as it were, the foundations of a new city. Afterwards I got as many Ants as I could out of the neft in the terrafs, and put them into a bottle, to give them a new habitation in my box; and because I was afraid 'they would return to the terrafs, I destroyed their old neft, pouring boiling water into the hole, to kill those Ants that remained in it. In the next place, I filled 'the new hole with the Ants that were in the bottle; but none of them would stay in it. They went away in less than two hours; which made me believe, that it was impoffible to make a fourth fettlement in my box.

Two or three days after, going accidentally over the terrass, I was much furprised to fee the Ants neft ⚫ which I had deftroyed very artfully repaired. I refolved then to destroy it entirely, and to fettle thofe Ants in my box. To fucceed in my defign, I put fome gun-powder and brimstone into their hole, and fprung a mine? whereby the whole neft was overthrown and then I carried as many Ants as I could. get, into the place which I defigned for them. It happened to be a very rainy day, and it rained all night; and therefore they remained in the new hole all that time. In the morning, when the rain was over, most of them went away to repair their old habitation; but finding it impracticable, by reafon of the fmell of the powder and brimftone, which kills them, they came back again, and fettled in the place I had appointed for them. They quickly grew acquainted with their neighbours, and received from them all manner of affiftance out of their holes. As for the infide of their neft, none but themfelves were concerned in it, according to the inviolable laws establifhed among those animals.

An Ant never goes into any other neft but her own ;. and if the should venture to do it, she would be • turned

turned out, and feverely punished. I have often ⚫ taken an Ant out of one neft, to put her into anothér ; but he quickly came out, being warmly pursued by two or three other Ants. I tried the fame experiment ⚫ feveral times with the fame Ant; but at last the other Ants grew impatient, and tore her to pieces. I have often frighted fome Ants with my fingers, and pur⚫ fued them as far as another hole, ftopping all the paf⚫fages to prevent their going to their own neft. It was very natural for them to fly into the next hole: Many a man would not be fo cautious, and would throw ⚫ himself out of the windows, or into a well, if he were ⚫ pursued by affaffins. But the Ants I am fpeaking of,

avoided going into any other hole but their own, ⚫ and rather tried all other ways of making their escape. They never fled into another neft, but at the laft extremity; and fometimes chofe rather to be taken, as I have often experienced. It is therefore an inviolable custom among thofe infects not to go into any other hole but their own. They don't exercife hofpitality; but they are very ready to help one another out of their holes. They put down their loads at the entrance of a neighbouring neft; and those that live in it carry them in.

They keep up a fort of trade among themfelves; and it is not true that those infects are not for lending: I know the contrary: They lend their corn; they ⚫ make exchanges; they are always ready to ferve one another; and I can affure you, that more time and ⚫ patience would have enabled me to obferve a thousand things more curious and wonderful than what I have mentioned. For inftance, how they lend and recover their loans; whether it be in the fame quantity or with ufury; whether they pay the ftrangers that work for them, &c. I don't think it impoffible to examine all thofe things; and it would be a great curiofity to know by what maxims they govern themfelves: Perhaps fuch a knowledge might be of fome ufe to us.

They are never attacked by any enemies in a body,. as it is reported of bees: Their only fear proceeds from birds, which fometimes eat their corn when they lay it out in the fun; but they keep it under ground, when they are afraid of thieves. It is faid that fome

birds eat them: but I never faw any inftance of it. They are alfo infested by small worms; but they turn them out and kill them. I obferved, that they punished thofe Ants, which probably had been wanting to their duty: Nay, fometimes they killed them; which they did in the following manner: Three or four Ants fell upon one, and pulled her feveral ways, until fhe was torn in pieces. Generally fpeaking they live very quietly, from whence I infer that they have a very fevere difcipline among themfelves, to keep fo good an order; or that they are great lovers of peace, if they have no occasion for any difci cipline.

Was there ever a greater union in any commonwealth? Every thing is common among them; which is not to be feen any where elfe. Bees, of which we are told fo many wonderful things, have each of them a hole in their hives; their honey is their own; every bee minds her own concerns. The fame may be faid of all other animals. They frequently fight, to deprive one another of their portion. It is not fo with Ants: They have nothing of their own: A grain of corn which an Ant carries home, is depofited in a common flock: It is not defigned for her own ufe, 'but for the whole community: There is no distinction ⚫ between a private and a common intereft. An Ant never works for herself, but for the fociety.

6

Whatever misfortune happens to them, their care • and industry find out a remedy for it; nothing dif 'courages them. If you destroy their nets, they will be repaired in two days. Any body may easily fee how difficult it is to drive them out of their habitations, without deftroying the inhabitants; for as long as there are any left, they will maintain their ground.”

Learning a proper Ingredient in the Education of a Woman of Quality or Fortune. [Guardian, No. 155.]

I

HAVE often wondered that learning is not thought a proper ingredient in the education of a woman of quality or fortune. Since they have the fame improve

able

able minds as the male part of the fpecies, why should they not be cultivated by the fame method? why fhould reafon be left to itself in one of the fexes, and be difciplined with fo much care in the other?

As in

There are fome reasons why learning feems more adapted to the female world, than to the male. the first place, because they have more fpare time upon their hands, and lead a more fedentary life. Their employments are of a domestic nature, and not like those of the other fex, which are often inconfiftent with study and contemplation. The excellent lady, the lady Lizard, in the space of one fummer, furnished a gallery with chairs and couches of her own and her daughters working; and at the fame time heard all Doctor Tillotfon's fermons twice over. It is always the custom for one of the young ladies to read, while the others are as work; fo that the learning of the family is not at all prejudicial to its manufactures. I was mightily pleafed the other day to find them all bufy in preferving feveral fruits of the season, with the Sparkler in the midst of them, reading over "The plurality of worlds." It was very entertaining to me to fee them dividing their speculations between jellies and ftars, and making a fudden tranfition from the fun to an apricot, or from the Copernican fyftem to the figure of a cheese-cake.

A fecond reafon why women should apply themselves to useful knowledge rather than men, is because they have that natural gift of fpeech in greater perfection. Since they have fo excellent a talent, fuch a Copia Verborum, or plenty of words, 'tis pity they fhould not put it to fome ufe. If the female tongue will be in motion, why should it not be fet to go right? Could they difcourfe about the fpots in the fun, it might divert them from publishing the faults of their neighbours: Could they talk of the different afpects and conjunctions of the planets, they need not be at the pains to comment upon oglings and clandeftine marriages. In fhort, were they furnished with matters of fact, out of arts and fciences, it would now and then be of great ease to their invention.

There is another feafon why those especially who are

women

women of quality, fhould apply themselves to letters, namely, because their husbands are generally ftrangers

to them.

It is a great pity there fhould be no knowledge in a family. For my own part, I am concerned when I go into a great houfe, where perhaps there is not a fingle perfon that can fpell, unlefs it be by chance the butler, or one of the footmen. What a figure is the young heir likely to make, who is a dunce both by father and mother's fide?

If we look into the hiftories of famous women, we find many eminent philofophers of this fex. Nay, we find that feveral females have distinguished themselves in thofe fects of philofophy which feem almoft repugnans to their natures. There have been famous female Pythagoreans, notwithstanding moft of that philofophy confifted in keeping a fecret, and that the difciple was to hold her tongue five years together. I need not mention Portia, who was a ftoick in petticoats: nor Hipparchia, the famous fhe cynick, who arrived at fuch a perfection in her ftudies, that the converfed with her husband, or man-planter, in broad day-light, and in the open streets.

Learning and knowledge are perfections in us, not as we are men, but, as we are reasonable creatures, in which order of beings the female world is upon the fame level with the male. We ought to confider in this particular, not what is the fex, but what is the species to which they belong. At least I believe every one will allow me, that a female philofopher is not fo abfurd a character and fo oppofite to the fex, as a female gamefter; and that it is more irrational for a woman to pass away half a dozen hours at cards or dice, than in getting up ftores of useful learning. This therefore is another reason why I would recommend the studies of knowledge to the female world, that they may not be at a loss how to employ thofe hours that lie upon their hands.

I might alfo add this motive to my fair readers, that feveral of their fex who have improved their minds by books and literature, have raised themselves to the

highest