60 HA R VESTING A NTS. 



attend upon aphides and seek for sweet secretions ? 

 (2) Do occasional harvesters ever form granaries ? 



In any case the name of " the provident one " 

 is only, I suspect, fully deserved by a limited number 

 of ants, and ^Esop, in his well-known fable, might 

 as properly have made the dialogue which ends in 

 the recommendation to " dance in winter as he piped 

 in summer," take place between two ants as between 

 an ant and a grasshopper, as far at least as their 

 respective foresight is concerned. 



Why it is that one ant should require stores of 

 food in the winter of which other ants have no need, 

 is one of the many problems which only patient 

 watching and careful comparison and experiment 

 can help us to solve. 



There are not wanting those among the many 

 winter visitors of the south who have time in abun- 

 dance or superabundance at their disposal, and might 

 help to clear up these and many other mysteries, 

 and to them I would strongly recommend the study 

 of the habits of plants and animals as a pastime, if 

 nothing more. 



The way is open : it is not difficult to follow, and 

 it leads to very pleasant places. 



