42 THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



in the ground, into each of which a dead ant was laid, where they now 

 labored on until they had filled up the ants' graves. This did not 

 quite finish the remarkable circumstances attending this funeral of the 

 ants. Some six or seven of the ants had attempted to run off without 

 performing their share of the task of digging ; these were caught and 

 brought back, when they were at once attacked by the body of ants and 

 killed. A single grave was quickly dug, and they were all dropped 

 into it." 



A remarkable acquaintance with mechanical principles is shown by 

 spiders in building and attaching their webs. This ingenuity is per- 

 haps most strikingly shown in making the repairs that some accident 

 has necessitated. A web had been broken from one of its attachments 

 during a storm and flapped violently in the wind. The spider let it- 

 self down to the ground, and crawled to a place where lay some splin- 

 tered pieces of a wooden fence thrown down by the storm. It fast- 

 ened a thread to one of the bits of wood, turned back with it, and 

 hung it to the lower part of its nest, about five feet from the ground. 

 The performance was a wonderful one, for the weight of the wood 

 sufficed to keep the nest tolerably firm, while it was yet light enough 

 to yield to the wind, and so prevent further injury. The piece of 

 wood was about two and a half inches long, and as thick as a goose- 

 quill. On the following day a careless servant knocked her head 

 against the wood and it fell down. But in the course of a few hours 

 the spider had found it and brought it back to its place. When the 

 storm ceased the spider mended her web, broke the supporting thread, 

 and let the wood fall to the ground ! 



The following interesting observation on the intelligence of snakes 

 shows, not only that these animals are well able to distinguish persons, 

 but also that they possess an intensity of amiable emotion scarcely to 

 be expected in this class. A writer to the London " Times " thus de- 

 scribes the behavior of some pet snakes kept by a gentleman and lady 

 of his acquaintance : 



" Mr. M , after we had talked for a little time, asked if I had any 



fear of snakes ; and after a timid ' No, not very,' from me, he pro- 

 duced out of a cupboard a large boa-constrictor, a python, and several 

 small snakes, which at once made themselves at home on the writing- 

 table among pens, ink, and books. I was at first a good deal startled, 

 especially when the two large snakes coiled round and round my 

 friend, and began to notice me with their bright eyes and forked 

 tongues ; but soon finding how tame they were, I ceased to feel 



frightened. After a short time Mr. M expressed a wish to call Mrs. 



M , and left me with the boa deposited on an arm-chair. I felt a 



little queer when the animal began gradually to come near, but the en- 

 trance of my host and hostess, followed by two charming little children, 

 put me at my ease again. After the first interchange of civilities, she 

 and the children went at once to the boa, and, calling it by the most en- 



