THE SLUGGARD'S MODEL 189 



and, though it was a prolonged and difficult job, 

 succeeded in getting all four of them off. It might 

 be supposed that they would treat these as mere 

 useless lumber, whose removal was necessary 

 merely to facilitate the transport of the body. 

 Not so, thought the ants. Each wing was borne 

 along to the entrance of the nest, and cut into 

 fragments small enough to be pulled inside. For 

 what purpose they were put in store some great 

 authority on formic economy may be able to say. 

 Despoiled of its legs and wings, the body of the 

 moth was successfully hauled along, but when 

 darkness put observation to an end it was still 

 blocking up the door. 



Bates, in his book on the Amazon, writes of the 

 terror with which a moving column of ants fills 

 every sort of creeping thing. The common little 

 garden ant wields something of the same power. 

 A worm is a very leisurely performer as a general 

 thing, but drop one among a company of ants and 

 the speed with which he will make for a safe 

 place gives a new impression of his motor powers. 

 A long -winged and very lethargic fly abounds just 

 now on sunflowers, and it is so lazy that it will 

 allow itself to be pushed off, and will fall to the 

 ground without trying to save itself. I dropped 

 one of these among the ants, and the effect upon 

 it was that of an electric shock. It ran from the 

 scene with every gesture of frantic alarm. 



