84 ANTS AND CHILDEEN OF THE GARDEN 



were moving or not when on the train. Ask an easy 

 question. 



KENNETH. I touched an ant with a straw four and a 

 half inches long four and a half, mind you and she 

 grabbed it. I then laid the straw across the top of the 

 ridge of your yard. She hung on and dangled from one 

 end of the straw until her hind feet touched the ground. 

 Within five minutes she had geed the straw around on the 

 pivot and moved it from the yard. She handled it just as 

 I would have handled a log. 



Helping, Rescuing. 



KENNETH. I'm glad to see your ants help each other. 

 One of your small nest mates couldn't drag a bug. Along 

 came a large ant, picked up the load, and easily carried it 

 home. The small one then went back to the harvest field. 



ANT. You will not see such a thing happen very often. 



KENNETH. I threw dust on an ant six times and 

 dropped it at its door as often, but every time it would 

 run back and search for me. 



ANT. It was thinking of the colony, not of itself. But 

 don't imagine that one of our ants can't be frightened. 



KENNETH. Well, it wasn't afraid of me, for it climbed 

 onto my fingers and bit them each time. 



ALBERT. Today I set a straw on end in your door 

 and the lower part rested on an ant and she couldn't get 

 loose. Another ant lifted the straw off and the prisoner 

 walked away. 



ANT. I guess the ant was just trying to get the straw 

 out of the door or thought it was biting an enemy. 



FLORENCE. I think the boys are often mistaken when 

 they think the ants are so wise. 



