HARVESTING, TRAILS, GETTING LOST 79 



patch. It was not bothered when I drew my finger across 

 in front of it. 



ANT. It wasn't following a trail. It might have been a 

 scout or it might have been ordered from home. Some- 

 times we hunt alone for game. 



ALBERT. I am easily lost and so are you. I often get 

 turned around in San Diego, and once I got lost in the 

 school house. When I'm lost I don't know which way home 

 is, and I don't believe you do, either. 



ANT. When lost you might not know your own home 

 if you would see it, but we could tell our home by the 

 nest odor, and I think my sense of direction is better than 

 yours. A pigeon can beat us both. 



ALBERT. When lost I use the sun, moon, moss on a 

 tree, or some familiar object to guide me, or I go back 

 and start over. 



ANT. And I hunt for our trail odor, nest odor, or some 

 familiar object; or I depend on the direction of greatest 

 light, or go back and start over. The direction of the 

 wind and the slope of the ground might help a little. I 

 suppose we both would follow a crowd if it was the right 

 kind of a one. 



KENNETH. Last evening 950 of your ants formed two 

 trails. Then they came together on one runway, but soon 

 scattered over the bean patch, where there is nothing for 

 them to eat. 



ANT. Maybe they were hunting dead cucumber bugs, 

 ladybugs, earwigs, or other insects. 



ALBERT. I know that your ants spread out over a 

 few feet at the end of the trail in search of seeds, but 

 these spread out near the nest and were lost to me. I 

 have seen one ant search for insects, but not the whole 

 gang until this time. 



