10 HARVESTING ANTS. 



following translation from, the Greek original* bears in 

 a much higher degree the impress of personal and accu- 

 rate observation. 



Mvpfx-))K^Q KOI Tfrri^ : The Ants and the Grasshopper. 

 Once in winter time the ants were sunning their seed- 

 store which had been soaked by the rains. A grass- 

 hopper saw them at this, and being famished and 

 ready to perish, he ran up and begged for a bit. To 

 the ant's question, "What were you doing in summer, 

 idling, that you have to beg now ? " he answered, " I 

 lived for pleasure then, piping and pleasing travellers." 

 " 0, ho ! " said they, with a grin, " dance in winter, 

 if you pipe in summer. Store seed for the future when 

 you can, and never mind playing and pleasing tra- 

 vellers."! It would be easy to multiply instances 

 in which the older authors allude to this habit, but 

 enough have been given to afford a sample of what 

 may easily be found repeated elsewhere, and I will 

 now quote a few instances which illustrate the more 

 modern belief, utterly opposed to that so long main- 

 tained by the ancients. 



Messrs. Kirby and Spencej discuss the matter in 

 the following terms : — "When we find the writers of 

 all nations and ages unite in affirming that, having 

 deprived it of the power of vegetating, ants store up 

 grain in their nests, we feel disposed to give larger 

 credit to their assertions. Writers in general have taken 

 . . . (this). . . for granted. But when observers of nature 

 began to examine the manners and economj'" of these 



* For this translation and all the foregoing extracts from ancient and 

 mediaeval authors T have to thank my brother, M. W. Moggridge. 

 f ^-Esopicae Fabulae (Tauchuitz edition), p. 92. 

 X Entomology, ed. 7 (I85G), p. 313. 



