THE STORING INSTINCT 187 



the sun. According to Neger the dried seeds, of 

 some leguminous plants for instance, are then taken 

 back into the nest and chewed into dough. This is 

 dried once again in the sun in the form of little 

 biscuits, which are eventually put into the cup- 

 board. It is probable that different kinds of seeds 

 receive different treatment, and in some cases it 

 seems that the stored material is not eaten after 

 all, but is used as a culture for molds (e.g. Asper- 

 gillus niger) of which the ants are very fond. It is 

 a very interesting fact that a utilization of fungoid 

 growths remotely comparable to man's mushroom 

 beds is exhibited by a number of quite unrelated 

 animals namely, by certain ants, termites, beetles, 

 and mites. 



Among backboned animals it is difficult to find 

 convincing instances of storing until we come to 

 birds and mammals. Apart from the numerous 

 birds that store food in their crops, sometimes so 

 exuberantly that they cannot fly, there are some 

 that may be said to lay up nutritive savings outside 

 of themselves. The large Eagle Owl, which occa- 

 sionally visits Britain, often gathers a huge super- 

 fluity of food (including hares and rabbits, poultry 

 and pigeons) for his mate and offspring; and 

 peasants have been known to utilize him as Elijah 

 his ravens. There is an old tale that ptarmigan 

 make stores of buds and berries beneath the snow, 

 but there is no doubt that at least two species of 

 woodpeckers store acorns, sticking them firmly 

 into holes which are bored " for the purpose " in the 



