Ants and Mites 



the story. Those who are quahfied to judge of these 

 matters seem to have been convinced that there is no 

 doubt as to the truth of what follows. 



Having arrived home, the ants masticate the leaf- 

 pieces and place them in prepared beds in their under- 

 ground galleries. A peculiar fungus soon grows upon 

 these beds, and is kept almost like a velvet sward by 

 these gardener-ants, who nibble off the fruits as soon as 

 they appear. It is upon this fungus that the ants live. 



These proceedings are far more intelligent even than 

 the Palestine ants, who collect corn and bite off the 

 radicles or root-tips when the grain begins to germinate, 

 apparently because they know that the grain will spoil 

 if allowed to sprout. 



But Dr. Ule, in his recent exploration of the Amazon 

 valley, has discovered some still more remarkable facts 

 about these uncanny creatures. 



All over the Amazon valley and Guiana, and even up 

 to about 3000 feet altitude on the mountains, curious 

 bunches of green herbage rather like storks' nests may 

 be seen on the trees. 



These are again the work of two kinds of ants. They 

 collect the seeds of certain plants and carry them to a 

 fork in the branches or a crack in the bark ; they then 

 bring earth and surround the seeds with it. In that 

 moist and genial climate the seed germinates, and soon 

 forms an ant-garden in which they make their nests. 

 They are protected by the luxuriant growth of the plants 

 both from violent rain-storms and from the strong rays 

 of the tropical sun. 



The plants which they use are some seven or eight 

 in number, and are widely distributed in the Amazons, 

 though almost invariably in these gardens. Two only 

 of these plants occur elsewhere, but on the ground and 

 not apparently on the bark of trees. They consist of 



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