ANT COMMUNITIES 



position, resting upon its two pairs of hind legs, while 

 its two front pairs, palps, and fangs are thrown up in 

 striking posture. [McC. 24, vol. ii, p. 320.] The same 

 attitude may be seen in the little jumping spiders (At- 

 tidae) around our house walls and vines. 



From the tarantula turn to the stream of agricultural 

 ants of Texas, pouring over the roads that lead into their 

 harvest fields. Fix your eye upon this worker, returning 

 home carrying a grain of ant rice. Every motion of her 

 body, which fairly palpitates as she hastens on, shows 

 her sense of importance and satisfaction in service. 

 Now tap her with your pencil-point. What a transition ! 

 She instantly stops, drops her burden, and rises rampant, 

 the fore part of her erect person declaring unmistakably 

 that she is startled, angry, and means to fight. She 

 thus takes her place as a link in the chain of life leading 

 down from man, among the creatures that communicate 

 their belligerent mood and purpose by bodily attitude 

 and gesture. 



But something more than signals and gestures appeal- 

 ing to the eyes met the observer of that affair between 

 the orb weaver and the bee among the hone3 r suckle 

 blooms. The bee's wings made effective appeal to his 

 ears, and by their varying vibrations gave a fair token 

 of her tempers. This was " pteratic language.' 1 The 

 droning among the flowers, the quivering amid the 

 spider's meshes, the sharp buzzing of flight after release 

 sounded in unmistakable notes the insect's amiability, 

 anxiety, or anger. One can detect these varying notes 

 as he walks his garden and field while the bees are forag- 

 ing among the flowers or while one watches by his bee- 

 hives. So, mayhap, Shakespeare did near by Anne 

 Hat ha way's door, or while treading the pathway across 



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