Excerpt from The Pennsylvania Magazine, or American Monthly Museum: For September 1775

When the; female has done laying, and the whole brood is thus produced, her labours, as well as that of the male, be come unneceftary, and her wings, which {he had but a lhort time before lo aaive ly employed, drop off. What becomes of her when thus divefied of her orna ments is not well known, for (he is feen in the cells fonfome weeks after. The males, on the other hand, having no longer any occupation at home, nfe ofrthofe wings with which they have been furnilhed by nature, and fly away, ngver to return, or be heard of more. It is probable-they peri-fh with the cold, or are devoured by the birds, which are particularly fond of this petty prey.

In the mean time, the working ants having probably depofed their queens, and being deferted by the males, that ferved but to clog the community, pre pare for the feverity of the winter, and bury their retreats as deep in the earth as they conveniently can. It is 'now found that the grains of corn, and other fubfiances with which they furnith their hill, are only meant as fences to keep off the rigours of the weather, not as pro vifions to fiappprt them during its conti nuance. It is found generally to obtain, that every infeét that lives a year after it has come to its full grdwth, is obliged to pafs four or five months without taking any nourifhment, and will f'eem to be dead all' that time. It would be to no purpofe therefore for ants to lay up corn for the winter, fince they lie that time without motion, heaped upon each other, and are to far from eating, that they are utterly unable to fiir. Thus what au thors have dignified by the name ofa ma gazine, appears to be no more than a ca viry, which ferves for a common retreat when the, weather forces them to return to their lethargic Rate.

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