THE INTEREST IN INSECTS 



21 L 



our plains will have more than the 

 higher lands. I have been out in the 

 sand hills and have only seen a few 

 ant hills. Not far from the Platte river 

 in one spot of about an acre I counted 

 two hundred ol them. 



Their conical shapes, quite pointed 

 on the top are rather remarkable in 

 looks. However, I have seen one or 

 two where evidently two colonies have 

 built so closely together that their 

 homes united and made a long' nest. 

 The one in the photograph being nearly 

 six feet long and thirty six inches wide 

 at the base the crest being a thin a\ge 

 and twenty eight inches from the 

 ground. 



What memorials these are to indus- 

 try ! What monuments are they to 

 ceaseless toil ! AVhat evolutionary his- 

 tory is hidden within these quartz 

 covered mounds! Could we but pull 

 aside the veil and glance back across the 

 eons of the past we would in all prob- 

 ability see the time when the lineage of 

 these ants lived individually and in 

 holes in the ground and not in mounds. 

 Each one of these mounds with its six 

 to twelve thousand inhabitants is a 

 question mark beckoning every nature 

 student on to fields unknown where 

 only meager answers can be had. 

 Yet, may we not allow ourselves great 

 freedom in our conjectures? We can- 

 not put it aside and say it just happened. 

 The "why" must be answered and a 

 conjecture or two will perhaps be inter- 

 esting. The cone-shaped hills of course 

 are to shed water which we don't have 

 much of out here. It also serves to keep 

 the nest thoroughly warm and dry. The 

 fact that the entrance is found where it 



A SECTION OF THE INTERIOR OF AN 

 MOUND. 



ANT 



is and seldom on the north or west is 

 to secure the rays of the early morning- 

 sun to warm up the eggs, larvae and 

 pupae which are regularly brought near 

 the surface by the caretakers of the ants 

 nursery. The gravel covering of the 

 hill enables it to withstand the heavy 

 winds of our semi-arid plains. The 

 cleared portion around the nest is for 

 further protection against enemies or 

 perhaps to allow the sun a better chance 

 to get to the nests. 



More interesting than their homes 

 are the ants themselves. J have sat and 

 watched them build their homes, 

 remove weeds, carry seeds and have 





<* 





A HUGE AND LONG ANT IIIIJ.. 



