ANT COMMUNITIES 



md 



and spines that are likely to take up dust, are scraped 

 against one another to remove the coarser grains of dust, 

 as a man might scratch a shin-bone with the calf of an 

 opposite leg. Then they are drawn alternately through 



the jaws, which, with 

 the saliva of the mouth, 

 act as a sort of scrap- 

 er and sponge for re- 

 moving finer particles. 

 Again, they are used 

 to comb the head and 

 antennae, for which 

 they are provided with 

 pairs of tibial combs, 

 coarse-toothed and fine- 

 toothed, of which our 

 own toilet articles are 

 a close likeness. 1 



In addition to these 

 is the tongue (Fig. 93), 

 a rasped organ similar 

 to that of dogs and cats. 

 How effective this is 

 a View of out-thrust tongue of agri- f or cleanliness in these 



cultural ant from above, b.c kn- 



larsed views of the "bosses or bulbs" domestic animals most 



se 



Fie:. 93 



c 



on the tongue, se Serrate edijes. 

 md - - Mandible. mx - - Maxilla. 

 sc Scope of antenna? 



persons know. It is 

 equally serviceable 

 with ants. It is this 



organ that is used in those parental acts of cleansing 

 committed to the nurses. The larva?, from the time 

 they are taken in charge until they pass into the pupa 



1 Nature's Craftsmen, p. 67. 



2 SO 



