98 ANTS AND CHILDREN OF THE GARDEN 



the nest. It took two days and four hours for the ants to 

 get it home. They moved it the first foot in an hour. 



DOROTHY. Did they work all day! 



CECIL. From one to six ants worked morning's, even- 

 ings and nights. The trail was not smooth. In crossing a 

 pile of stone they lost the kernel, and I helped them dig it 

 out. 



ANT. I'd like to see one man, or even six men, drag 

 4,500 pounds over rough ground one and a quarter miles 

 in a little over two days. 



ALBERT. Our ants moved a whole English walnut 

 kernel four inches the heaviest load I ever saw them 

 move. 



CECIL. The tails of five filaree seeds got tangled, but 

 a single ant dragged the whole bunch home. Afterwards 

 I saw an ant drag home five green ones that hadn't fallen 

 apart yet. She must have cut the stalk off. Maybe the 

 milk of the green seeds was for the babies. 



ALBERT. What's the longest distance you ever saw 

 one ant carry another? 



KENNETH. Forty-five feet, and then the carrier lost 

 it. It was like this. I threw some dirt on an ant. An- 

 other picked up the dusty one and started west over an 

 awful road no trail and plenty of stones, matted grass 

 and weeds. 



ALBERT. Anything interesting happen? 



KENNETH. When the carrier laid the dusty one down 

 to rest for the fourth time, it escaped, but went on straight 

 away from home. I picked it up, could find nothing the 

 matter with it, and laid it down. After it had hunted for 

 me for half an hour I took it home. 



ALBERT. Then what? 



KENNETH. Three doctors stopped it and felt it over. 



