Series 03: Joseph Banks - Endeavour journal, 25 August 1768 - 12 July 1771 (vol. 2) - No. 0376
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[Page 376]
272
Some account of New Holland
probably they were carried on till the root of some tree presented itself up which they ascended & so up the trunk & branches by the coverd way before mentiond
these I should suppose to be the houses to which they retire in the winter season as they are undoubtedly able to defend them from any rain that can fall while the others tho generaly built under the shelter of some overhanging branch must be but ill proof to a heavy rain from the thinness of their covering thus much for the ants an industrious race who in all countries have for that reason been admird by man tho probably in no countrey more admirable than in this the few observations I have wrote down of them are cheifly from conjecture & therefore are not at all to be depended upon was any man however to be setled here who had time & inclination to observe their œconomy I am convincd it would far exceed that of any insects we know, not excepting out much admird bees
[Margin note] Fish
The sea however made some amends for the Barreness of the Land Fish tho not so plentyfull as they generaly are in higher latitudes were far from scarce