THE DAINTINESS OF ANTS 



"doing up the back hair" — {is one may say — the head 

 is further dropped and the leg with its movable spur- 

 comb, which has free play like a comb in a human hand, 

 is thrown quite behind the vertex, and moved forward 

 again and again through the tufts of hair growing there. 

 In these and other cleansing movements the leg will be 



COMBING THE HEAD AND THE BACK HAIR 



drawn through the jaws at intervals, to moisten it or to 

 wipe off the dust caught in the comb. The action re- 

 minds one of the alternations of pussy's paw between 

 mouth and neck when washing the back of her head 

 and ears. 



Cleaning the abdomen and the stinging organs at 

 the apex, which is surrounded by circles of hairs, places 

 the ants in grotesque attitudes; although herein also 

 one notes a miniature of the ways of domestic animals. 

 For example, the hind legs will be thro^^^l backward 



59 



