FIGHTING, AMMUNITION 103 



ANT. Rush them to the place of greatest safety. 



KENNETH. How do you pull the legs off an enemy? 



CECIL. I know. A few ants get on one side and a few 

 on the other, and then all pull at once. Sometimes others 

 help by cutting at the joints. They pull feelers off the 

 same way, or simply cut them off. 



DOROTHY. Which whips when two colonies have a real 

 battle? 



ANT. That's a curious question. It depends on num- 

 bers, strength, speed, courage, spirit, confidence, ammuni- 

 tion, strategy, patriotism, morale 



DOROTHY. Stop. I don't know what you are talking 

 about. 



ALBERT. I'm interested in boxing. If you and another 

 ant were going to box or fight, how would you go at it? 



ANT. We would be apt to face each other heads a 

 short distance apart. Then our feelers on the same side 

 would be crossed; one of us would say "Ready," and at it 

 we would go. 



DOROTHY. What is your most dangerous enemy ? 



ANT. The most dangerous enemy of ants is ants, and 

 the most dangerous enemy of man is man, if you don't 

 count those that are so small you can't see them moulds 

 and bacteria. 



KENNETH. Are big-headed ants all soldiers all fight- 

 ers } . 



ANT. No, indeed. Some of them can't fight at all, and 

 just use their awful jaws as nut crackers for the whole 

 family, or use them to break the hard shells of bugs with. 



DOROTHY. What is the biggest animal ants can kill? 



ANT. Pigs, monkeys, snakes, and so on. Why, the 

 native Mexicans used to punish or kill their enemies by 

 binding them to nests of ants. 



KENNETH. I don't know whether I saw a battle todav 



