NATURE'S CRAFTSMEN 



stantly climbed over the eggs and larvae, apparently 

 nipping them with its mandibles, but not moving them 

 to any purpose, and making no well-defined attempt to 

 feed them, as was done by the parent ant. It plainly 

 added awkwardness to inexperience, or was defective in 

 instinct. The mother would caress the larva by sundry 

 pats, with her antennae, upon each side of the face, when, 

 if hmigry, it would lift up its head mider her mandibles, 

 placing its labium against hers, at which time a flow of 

 liquid down the larval throat was seen. 



As the queen's labors increased, she was less given to 

 move her charges from place to place, though they were 

 not allowed to remain long quiet. The maternal inclina- 

 tion to tend and dandle one's offspring seemed vigorous 

 even in her emmet bosom. 



The moisture necessary to cleanse and refresh the 

 larvae was apparently supplied from the salivary glands 

 and tongue of the care-taker, who examined them one 

 after another, moistened the dry places, and kept the egg 

 and larval skins flexible. The queen was careful of the 

 eggs, standing nearly all the time with her head over the 

 little heap, occasionally picking them up to move them 

 a quarter of an inch or more to one side. She was thrown 

 into a great excitement of solicitude by a fly attracted 

 by some crumbs within her domicile. She sprang fiercely 

 at the intruder, and raged around her narrow compart- 

 ment, seizing a group of eggs, as if to escape with them 

 from a threatened danger. Then she replaced them, as 

 if recognizing the impossibility of getting away; or, it 

 may be, soothed by reason from her needless fear. Her 

 demeanor indicated strong maternal solicitude ; and how 

 like our own mothers and wives! 



When ovipositing, the queen stood up high upon all 



36 



