108 APHIS. 



nest. I walked by the same way about three hours after- 

 wards, and found the nest all quiet and orderly, and not an 

 Aphis was to be seen ; so I went to work with my knife, 

 and scraped down the side of the hill. I soon came to the 

 Aphides; they were clustered together on little bits of this- 

 tle-root, which had been broken off in the ground, and 

 were attended by numbers of ants. When the ants found 

 their cattle were again in jeopardy, they drew them gently 

 from the root, and carried them still farther into the nest. 

 I am quite convinced that honey-dew is a secretion from 

 the Aphides, and that ants devour this honey-dew, and 

 a sweet, clear, liquid honey it is. I have often watched an 

 ant go from one Aphis to another, stand behind each, and 

 gently squeeze the body with its fore legs ; perhaps one 

 Aphis in ten, not more, will give out a small drop of ho- 

 ney, as clear as crystal, which the ants instantly swallow. 

 The ants take much more care of the Aphides than the 

 Aphides do of themselves : they are sad, dull, stupid crea- 

 tures. It is very pretty to see the licking and washing 

 and cleaning and caressing which the ants constantly be- 

 stow on them. When the Aphides cast their skin, the ants 

 instantly carry it away, nor will they let any dirt or rub- 

 bish remain among them or on them. But the most 

 amusing care of the ant is guarding the Aphides from the 

 attacks of that little parasitic fly, whose operations Mr. 

 Haliday has so well described. You must have seen a 

 sheep-dog run over the backs of a whole flock of sheep, 

 when closely crowded together, in order to bring back 

 some sinner that has gone astray ; so will the ants in the 

 hot sunshine run about over an establishment of Aphides, 

 driving away the rascally parasite that is for ever hovering 

 over to destroy them. 



