NATURE'S CRAFTSMEN 



one atop of another. There was a constant agitation in 

 the clusters, and frequent changes of position occurred. 



While the ants of one group were sleeping, others 

 would be at work, and these would stalk among and 

 over the sleepers, vigorously jostling them at times. 

 Again, new members occasionally joined a group, and, 

 in their eagerness to get close up to the heat, crowded 

 their drowsy comrades aside. Ants at work in the gal- 

 leries would drop the pellets they carried, push into a 

 group of sleepers, and presently themselves be sound 

 asleep. This rough treatment was invariably received 

 with good-humor, as are like jostlings during waking 

 and working hours. The fact must be set to the credit 

 of emmet amiability, as^from the stand-point of higher 

 animals at least — the circumstances peculiarly tend to 

 irritate the temper. Of course, however, some of the 

 sleepers would be aroused. They changed their posi- 

 tions a little, or gave themselves a brief combing, and 

 resumed their nap — unless, indeed, they were satisfied, 

 in which case they stretched their limbs and yawned 

 in the approved manner of the genus homo. 



The length of time given to sleep varies according 

 to circumstances and, perhaps, temperament. The big- 

 headed soldiers of the Florida Harvester seem more 

 sluggish than the smaller workers. Their sleep is longer 

 and heavier. The longest period during which individ- 

 uals were observed to sleep is three and a half hours. 

 But then with most ants sleep was broken up into sev- 

 eral naps, longer or shorter, by incomers and intruding 

 laborers. We may infer that the sleep of ants may be 

 prolonged for three hours. They may sleep longer in 

 natural site and under ground. Certainly in confine- 

 ment they commonly take much shorter naps. 



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