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FO~M

il al[o

ll[~O,

anlOng mechaoics, [or

fort of mould

wl,mon any th"'g is faOlioned or wrought: as the

hmer'! form, the paper·maker's form,

&c.

Pril/I"'¡

FOkM,

an af[.OIblage of leners, words, aod

lines, ranged in order, and [o di[pofed into page! by

the compofitor; from which, by means of iok and •

prcfs, the prinred !heets are drawn.

Ewy

farOl is inclofed in an iron·cha[e, whrrein it

is fir..ly locked by a number of pieccs of wood;

fome long and narrow, and others 01' the form of

wedgcs.

Th.re

are two (orms requircd (or every

lhee!,

one for each fide; and each (orm confins of

more or fewer pages, according 10 Ihe fize of the

book.

fORMAL,

(omething bclonging lO, or cODfiitutiog the

form of

thing. See

ORIol.

FORMICA,

or the

ANT,

in zoology, a genus of in–

fetls beloo&ing ro the order of hymenoprcra, Ihe cha–

¡¡Om

of which are thefe : There is

Cmall fcale be–

twixt thebrean and belly, and the joinl is fo deep that

the animal appear! as if it were almon cut througl, rhe

body. The females, and the neurCrl or wurking ants

which nave no [exual charaaerinies, 'are furnifhed with

• hidden fiing; aDd both the males ano females have

wio&s, but rhe Deutm have none. There are eigh–

teeD fpecies, mon of them difliogui01Cd by rbcir co–

loors.

TheCe infeas keep logelber io comp:mies like

the bm, and maintain a Corl of republic. Their

nen is 001 exaaly'r<[uare, bUI longer one way thao the

olher; and in it lhm are a [Ort of palhs, which lead

10 diffmn! magazines. Sorne of the anlS are employ–

ed in making !he ground 6rm, bymixing il Wilh a.ron

of glue, for fm it Olould crumble, and fall dOWD upon

thcir heads. They may be [oruetimes [eeo 10 galher

feveral twigs, which [erve them fo,' rafters, which they

place over the paths,

[upport the cover iog; lbey

l¿y othelS aerofs them, and upon lhem ru!hes, weeds,

and dned grafs, which they heap up into a

dou~le

de–

c1ivity, which ferves 10 turo off the water froOl their

magazine,. Sorne of lhe[e [erve 10 lay up Iheir provi–

fioos in, aod iD olhers they Idy their eggs.

As for the provifions,lbeylay upevery Ihing, thal is fil

for lhem to

(al;

and you may oflen fee one loaded Wilh

pippio, or grain of fruit, anolher \Virh a dud Bie, and

[everallogelher with the

C'~rcafe

of a may.bug, orother

iofca. If they mm wilhany thcy canoot briog awa)',

lhey

il ul'0n the [por, or at lean fo much of it, al

may reduce it to a bulk ['"1.11 eoough (or them tO car–

ry. They do not run

~bollt

whm they rlea[e, at all

¡d.eotures : [or fome of them are [enl abroad tO make

di[coverics; and if lhe)' bring back neWl they ha.e met

wirh apear, or a [ugar. loar, or a pOt of [wwmeats,

!hey will run from the bouom of the garden, as high

as the third !lory of ahou[e, tO come at it. They all

followeach olher in the fame palh, wilhollt wandering

lO lhe right or lhe lefr; but in lhe 6elds they are more

al their lihertr, and are allowed tO run about io [earch

of game. Thm is a [ort of Rreen fly, lha! doc, a

&rM dcal of mi[chief among rhe flowcrs, and which

eurl up!he Icam of peacll an¿ pm trm i aDd

¡befe

F O R

are [urrollnded wirb a [on of

~Iue,

or honey, 'vhicl\.

tl,e 3nrs hllnr afler very greedily ; (or rhey touch nci–

llrer the planl nor rhe fiies rhcm[dm.

Next 10 rhis, lheir grcmft p,Oion isto lay up hoard,

of whcat, and other corn; and for fear the corn fhould

[proul by the moinure of the ["blerraneous cflls, ther

goaw ofi' the .end which IVould produce theblade. The

anu are ofrcn [.en pufhing along graios of IVheal, or

ba~ley,

much farger than rhemfelves.

In ACrica, and particularly in Cuiney, the anrs are

exceeding trouble[ome, and do a great deal of mif–

chicf. They make lheir nens of eanh io lhe 6elds,

twice as high as aman; befides wlrieh they build large

nens io high mes, from which pl.ees they aJvaoce in

fuch prodigiout [warma to lhe houfes, thal lhey fre–

quenrly oblige the iohabirants to quil their beds in the

nigbl-time. They will [ometirnes auack a liviog Oleep,

which in a night's rillle they will reduce 10 a per[e/[

Ikelelon, leaving not lhe lean lhing exccpt the

~ooel.

is cor.tmon for lhem tO [me domenic fOlVls in tbe

[ame manner, aod even the ralS thernCdves caDOOI (–

rcape thern. If you place a worm or a beerle where

only one or two ants

they will immediatcly de–

part, and bring with lhem above an hundred; a[ler

which they [cize lbeir prey, and march off witb ir in

good order. Thefe aots are of various [ons, fome

grear, olher! [mall, fome black, aDd others red ; the

lting

this lan is very pain["I, and cauCes aDioBaro–

mation; the white are as moCpareot as crynal, and

have [uch nroog teelh, thal io a night's time they wilI

eat their way through a lhick IVooden cben, and make

it al full of holes as if il had been peowated by I¡¡il.

Ibol.

There are aI[o [everal [om of ant! io rhe Eal! In–

dies, who[e numbers are prodigious: fome of lhem

are exceeding large, and of a I'\Iddy colour, ioclioing

10 black; and fome hal'e wings, bur othen have none.

They are very pernieious tO the fruits of the eanh,

and do a gr<3t deal of mifehief io huu[ea, unlefs frm

care is taken to prevent lhem. lt is remarkable, that

ir one ant meClS another that is loaden, it always gives

lYay to lel ir pa[s freely.

The ant

I.ys

eggs in the manner of lhe common

fiies, and from th& cgss

3rt

halchcd a fon of fmall

maggon or worms withoullegs: the[e are Omp at one

end aod blunl al the other; aod are \Vhile, bUl [o

mnfparent, that the inlenines are [ecn throllgh the

Ikin. Thcfe. afrer a fhon time, cltanRc into farce

while aurdi:e, which are \Vhat are ufualfy calltJ anl!

egRf. That end which is to be rhe tail il the Jargen,

and r'lat whieh is rhe head js [ornewhat mn[parenl.

The anrs mOl'e lhefe about al plea[ure ",ith rhcir for–

eeps.

is well known, that when a nen of thefe

c.eR

–

tures i! dinurbed and lhe aureli:t fcat!ered aboUl,the anl!

are at infinite pain! tO get togerher alllhat are IInhur r,

and make a nen [or them again: nay, aoy arm will do

thi!, and tho[e of onc neft wrll oflen rake care of lhe

aurcli:t of anolher.

The affeaion of tire anl for il! offsprinc is ama–

t ing. Thcy carry the young worms .bOUl in their

mo ths, tbat DothiDg

m~y

injure lh mi and wlren the

W .lU