of their more elevated confreres, the unfeathered bipeds. And I am sorry to say that sometimes these resemblances are not to our best qualities or most approved customs. One or two of these similarities let me show to you. I propose to present to you, soldiers, slaveholders and farmers, in a quarter where perhaps you never noticed them before.

In a low rounded mound, which may often be found under a warm sunny bush, lives a curious tribe of ants. Their dwelling is built of earth, mixed with bits of leaves,, blades of grass, little stones, and pieces of moss. Avenues lead from the top in every direction to the interior. Occasionally one larger than the rest passes from one end to the other, their great central thoroughfare from which by-paths lead to every part of their mimic city. In the centre, a hall larger than the other chambers, is hollowed out, into which at times all the citizens come for a general assembly. On the approach of bad weather, and, indeed, at nightfall, with bits of leaves and minute stakes, they close their city gates-i. e. the openings to their avenues, place sentries at these barricades and repose till danger and darkness are

over.

But you have not seen my soldiers yet. Here they come with heads and arms (i. e. the antennæ) of a tawny red, while underneath an ashy-black prevails. These are the so-called soldier or sanguine ants. From their martial uniforms, but still more from their fierce habits and apparent discipline, they well deserve their name. Well can they spare time for military duties, for they are slaveholders as well as warriors, and have, strange to say, black slaves at home to do their menial labor,-but more of this again.

We see them start forth from the mound with flaming crests, and glaring eyes a miniature war party; let us follow in silence. A little way from their camp an active skirmisher has spied a prize-the more humble home of certain cousin ants, whose color is so nearly black that we can call them negroes. Immediately our soldiers hold a council of war; the ground is surveyed; they determine upon an attack, but reinforcements must be had. A messenger is dispatched to the city, while the scouting party advances to the assault. Gaining courage as they go, they cannot wait for assistance, but rush at once to the combat. But look; the negroes are no longer idle. Hastily

sounding the alarm, they call out all their force and beat back the invaders, even securing a few prisoners. Hurrah for the blacks!

Here the battle rests. The too confident reds continually hurry off messengers to their city, and as continually are strengthened by small parties of recruits. Taught by their recent defeat they bide their time. The besieged blacks, however, are in a high state of excitement. The great mass of them cover a few square feet in front of their city, form their lines and watch the foe. Occasionally individual combats divert their attention. While Mars thus hovers doubtful over the lines, in the city there is a busy scene. Numbers of prudent colored fellows are bringing forth the young from their chambers and throwing them in a huge heap together on the side of the hill away from the battle field. The maidens of the race flock to the same place.

But now the army of the reds, in confident numbers, make their grand charge. Steadily they march up, force back the blacks, scale the dome, and in a few moments the city is theirs. See the poor negroes seize the young from the heap just mentioned and run for dear life, like prudent soldiers scattering in every direction, yet everywhere hard pressed by their enemies. A few less cowardly remain by their home and die at their posts, but the main body have retired, to unite and rebuild in some more secluded locality.

The city thus taken is given up to plunder and destruction. In squadrons and singly the conquerors search out all the little negroes and forming a long line, convey them to their own city,-there to forget their former freedom and become cheerful, contented and devoted slaves to their more highly tinted masters. Night interrupts them before the work is done. A detachment of reds is put on guard over the pillaged city, and the work resumed the following lay.

Of what we are talking? Are these Greeks heavy-armed among the barbarians, or Romans among defenseless Britons, or Germans at Versailles? Is it true that these are little insignificant ants? Has man in his civilized warfare improved upon his humbler fellow soldiers with six legs?

Five or six such expeditions every year these sanguines make. In this way they supply themselves with self-supporting and obedient

slaves, who construct their habitations, tend their babics, do all their hard work, and never dream of independence. Why did not our Southern brethern use this illustration to defend their peculiar institution? Why does not Wendell Phillips present these soldiers with a copy of the Emancipation Proclamation?

One

I said these slaves did all the hard work for their masters. task these fierce lords reserve to themselves. They milk their own COWS. What! Do you not believe that? True, soldiers are seldom good farmers, but our friends with the red heads can claim both titles. But can these ants have cows? I cannot tell you what names they are called in ant-language, but there certainly are little sixlegged creatures—and you have seen them too-of various colorsgreen, white, grey and brown-which sustain much the same relation to ants that Alderneys do to us. Along their backs extend two little tubes in which is secreted a kind of honey of which many tribes of ants are as fond as you are of milk and butter. These little bovines live wholly on plants, are very indolent, and often gather in quite a mass on the underside of a leaf. Can you guess their names? They are nothing but plant-lice. Aphides, the books call them.

Well, not only do ants climb up on plants after their cows, but some tribes, the yellow ants, for instance, actually keep them shut up among their own families in their underground homes. Other tribes, more select in their habits as well as more ingenious, build barns for them, taking care to provide them abundant fodder. The parasites of the common plantain retire under the root leaves when the stalk is dry. Thither the ants follow, close up all the empty spaces with moist earth, construct galleries leading to their own city, and on rainy days run out to their barn to enjoy the benefit of their careful labor. In cold weather these cows are invaluable. The ant lays up no stock of winter provisions, but becomes torpid at the temperature two below zero-just the temperature of torpidity for the Aphides, by a wise provision. Hence there are times when their usual food is scarce and they might suffer if nature had not provided the singular milk which the ant well knows how to procure.

What a marvelous world is this in which we live! As we tread through the field any bright summer day, we can scarcely set down

our foot without startling, perhaps destroying, numbers of fellow creatures-yes, fellow creatures they are, for they are made by the same creative hand; and if we search into the order of their lives, we find it by no means insignificant. Not only do we behold curious parallels with our own passion-moved acts, but, more wonderful still, we discover provisions made for their happiness and for their sustenance, provisions not as bountiful, but just as certain as those we know to be made for ourselves. Can we not here learn anew the lesson so beautifully taught us centuries ago, when the lilies and the sparrows were the illustrations?

NAMES OF THE STATES.

A correspondent inquires why the States are called by their present names, and what their derivation and meaning:

Maine-So called from the province of Maine, in France, in compliment to Queen Henrietta of England, who, it has been said, owned that province. This is the commonly received opinion.

New Hampshire-Named by John Mason in 1669, (who with another obtained the grant from the crown,) from Hampshire county in England. The former name of the domain was Laconia.

Vermont-From the French verd mont, or green mountain, indicative of the mountainous nature of the State. The name was first officially recognized January 16; 1777.

Massachusetts-Indian name, signifying "the country about the great hills."

Rhode Island-This name was adopted in 1674 from the Island of Rhodes, in the Mediterranean, because of its fancied resemblance to that island.

Connecticut-This is the English orthography of the Indian word of Quon-eh-ta-cut, which signifies "the long river.”

New York-Named by the Duke of York under color of the title given by the English crown in 1664.

New Jersey-So called in honor of Sir George Carteret, who was governor of the Island of Jersey, in the British Channel.

Pennsylvania-From William Penn, the founder of the new colony, meaning "Penn's Woods."

Delaware-In honor of Thomas West, Lord De-la-Ware, who visited the bay and died there in 1610.

Maryland-After Henrietta Maria, Queen of Charles Firet, of

England.

Virginia-So called in honor of Queen Elizabeth, the "virgin queen," in whose reign Sir Walter Raleigh made the first attempt to colonize that region.

North and South Carolina were originally in one tract, called Carolana, after Charles Ninth, of France, in 1504. Subsequently, in 1665, the name was altered to Carolina.

Georgia-So called in honor of George Second, of England, who established a colony in that region in 1732.

Florida-Ponce de Leon, who discovered this portion of North America in 1519, named it Florida in commemoration of the day he landed there, which was the Pasquas de Flores of the Spaniards, or "Feast of Flowers," otherwise known as Easter Sunday.

Alabama-Formerly a portion of Mississippi Territory, admitted into the Union, as a State, in 1819. The name is of Indian origin, signifying "here we rest."

Mississippi-Formerly a portion of the Province of Louisiana. So named in 1800 from the great river on the western line. The name is of Indian origin, meaning "long river."

Louisiana-From Louis Fourteenth, of France, who for some time prior to 1763, owned the territory.

Arkansas-From Kansas, the Indian word for "smoky water," with the French prefix arc, "bow."

Tennessee-Indian for "the river of the big bend," i. e., the Mississippi, which is its western boundary.

Kentucky-Indian for "at the head of the river."

Ohio-From the Indian, meaning "beautiful." Previously applied to the river which traverses a great part of its borders.

Michigan-Previously applied to the lake, the Indian name for a fish weir. So called from the fancied resemblance of the Lake to a fish-trap.

Indiana-So called in 1802 from American Indians.