Under a rock near the pond.

December 3

Thursday. 

Surveying the Richardson lot, which bounds on Walden Pond, I turned up a rock near the pond to make a bound with, and found under it, attached to it, a collection of black ants (say a quarter of an inch long) an inch in diameter, collected around one monster black ant as big as four or five at least, and a small parcel of yellowish eggs (?). The large ant had no wings and was probably their queen. The ants were quite lively, though but little way under the edge of the rock. The eggs (?) adhered to the rock when turned up.

H. D. Thoreau, Journal, December 3, 1857

I turned up a rock near the pond to make a bound with. See May 19, 1857 (“Digging again to find a stake in woods, came across a nest or colony of wood ants, yellowish or sand-color, a third of an inch long, with their white grubs, now squirming, still larger, and emitting that same pungent spicy odor.”)

I turned up a rock. 

The large black ant had no wings – 

probably their queen.