ANTS KNOW THEIR NEST MATES 13 



up a yellow jackets' nest the other day, you would know 

 why. 



FLORENCE. Why such excitement among the ants 

 when I dropped a handful of bugs and pebbles and grass- 

 hoppers near the door? 



CECIL. How would you act if a lion escaped from the 

 show, or an earthquake shook your house down? 



Ants Enow Their Nest Mates. 



FLORENCE. Do members of a colony know their own 

 ants from others of the same kind? 



CECIL. I find I don't know as. much as I thought I did. 

 Here's a wise-looking ant; let's ask her. How about it, 

 Ant? Do your sisters all have names? 



ANT. Certainly not, but I know all the ants that belong 

 in our colony when I meet them, and you don't know a 

 tenth of the people that live in your small city. 



CECIL. How do you tell your many hundred ants from 

 others of the same kind? 



ANT. Mainly by the sense of smell. 



CECIL. I have three strange ants in this bottle. They 

 are like yours, but from another colony. I'll drop them 

 near your door to see if yours know they are newcomers. 



ALBERT. Look! No. 1 was carried into the house. 

 Strange! No. 2 ran away with our -ants grabbing at her, 

 and No. 3 has lain down on her side and is being examined 

 by six of our ants. Now one has picked her up, carried 

 her away, and laid her down. There; she jumps up and 

 runs away. 



CECIL. Let's take two of ours down to the colony like 

 ours. 



ALBERT. See! One is allowed to walk away without 



