50 MR J. G. GOODCHILD ON 
they have casually turned over a flat stone which lay near 
to them, and have found that, in doing so, they have un- 
intentionally intruded upon the privacy of a community of 
ants. The moment that the roof is lifted from their house, 
the inmates get into a state of much excitement and alarm, 
and run hither and thither in a very nervous and fussy sort 
of way, evidently, at first, as if they were not quite sure of the 
nature of the calamity that hadbefallen them. When they have 
quite realised the situation, their first thought seems to be, not 
to rush away into a place of concealment with a view to their 
own safety, but rather to attend to the preservation of the 
apparently lifeless objects one sees in the nest, and which 
are usually known by the name of “ants’ eggs.” These, of 
course, are not the eggs of the ants, but are their larve, or 
pupe, as the case may be. For the purpose in view here 
it will suffice to refer to these as the ants’ young ones. 
There seems to be great confusion at the outset, as if no 
one knew what best to do. But if the movements of the 
ants are carefully watched, it will be seen that some of them 
almost immediately go to the entrances leading to various” 
underground passages, and after clearing away any débris 
that may have obstructed the entrance, they disappear 
below. Probably they go down to clear the way for the 
young ones, around whose safety the anxiety of the whole 
community obviously centres. In the meantime, and as if 
by the direction of some overseer, the ants who have 
remained at the surface have each one seized the object 
about whose safety they are all so much concerned, taking 
a young one in their jaws just as a cat walks off with its 
kitten, and, loaded with these, they hurry to the entrance 
to one of the tunnels, and after a good many struggles 
they manage to push their way in with their helpless 
burden, and eventually deposit it safely in the nursery 
below. 
A careful observer will note the interesting fact that, 
notwithstanding the flurry and excitement manifested by 
the members of the ant community, they never run against 
each other, nor do any two of them make for the same hole, 
nor in any other way does there seem to be any lack of 
order or discipline in their movements, even though the 
