38 ANTS AND CHILDREN OF THE GARDEN 



FLORENCE. I wish the camel had a long upper lip like 

 that. Then it wouldn't look so sad. You know, I think 

 you look like a camel. 



ANT. My mouth would get full of dust and sticks if it 

 were not for my overlapping lip, my big jaws, and if I 

 couldn't draw my mouth back. I can push my pharynx 

 out and shove the lid off my mouth with it. 



FLORENCE. Your "pharynx"? What's that! 



ANT. My lower lip is on the floor of my mouth and 

 my tongue is on that lip. The food passes back into the 

 pharynx as I am about to swallow, just as yours does. 



DOROTHY. You know a lot for an ant. 



ANT. With the sides of my mouth parts I can scrape 

 and cut hard food, such as seed kernels. With my tongue 

 I can lick and lap liquids, and scrape with its rough edges. 



DOROTHY. Must be something like my cat's tongue or 

 our cow's. 



ANT. I can arrange my mouth parts into a tube 

 through which I can suck. My upper lip is split so I can 

 use the parts as fingers. My mouth has several other 

 handy parts, also. In fact, it's a great deal handier mouth 

 than yours. 



FLORENCE. Oh, I don't know. 



KENNETH. Tell us more about your jaws and teeth. 



ANT. Each jaw has a long, hard cutting edge and the 

 jaws work like scissors. Ours have teeth and also bristles 

 along the edges before they are worn off in mining and 

 carrying seed. 



