338 TENANTS OF AN OLD FARM. 



inutuivd, thuy swarui or go forth ou their iimrriage 

 flight, as it is called. After this, the males all perish 

 or arc devoured by various animals. The young females 

 tear off their wings and hurrow in the ground. They 

 are then queens, and become mothers and founders 

 of new colonies." 



" But why do they tear off their wings ?" asked Abby. 

 "The queen bumble-])ee that we saw the other da}' had 

 her wings quite like all the other bees." 



"Yes, the workers of bees and wasps are all winged, 

 and their mode of life, while gathering food afield as 

 well as at home, for the most part requires and is accom- 

 modated to a winged state. It is different Avith ants, 

 who are largely scavengers and burrowers, having no 

 use for wings except during the marriage flight, for 

 which purpose solely they seem to be provided. The 

 queen ant doubtless finds the beautiful appendages to 

 her wardrobe entirely too cumbersome for her Avorkaday 

 life, and therefore puts herself into plain attire." 



"There, Aunt Hannah," suggested Abby. "You 

 see you can 'go to the ant' to find a justification for 

 your notions about plain dressing." 



" Thank thee, Abby, for thy good Avord," said Aunt 

 Hannah, smiling. "But thee forgets that the queen 

 bee and all her busy workers, who have quite as good 

 a name for the virtues of industry and economy, keep 

 their gay apparel. Friends are not so severe in their 

 views of dress as they used to be, and perhaps there is 

 less need of their testimony. At all events, to return 

 to thy analog}', if it seems becoming to the queen ant to 



