114 ANTS AND CHILDREN OF THE GARDEN 



the ants have dumped out of their mouth pouches after the 

 food had been dissolved out. 



ALBERT. I read of a fungus-growing ant that laid ten 

 to twelve eggs a day for ten days, and nine out of every 

 ten eggs were eaten by the mother. Later eggs were fed 

 to the babies, also. 



KENNETH. Just see what I picked up on the crater 

 today : 



21 heads of Carpenters. 



19 abdomens of same. 

 6 bugs 1/8 of an inch long. 

 4 bugs y of an inch long. 

 2 earwigs % an inch long. 

 2 sow bugs. 

 1 of our ants 55 in all. 



ALBERT. I suppose this food will be served in the 

 dining room as needed. It keeps better out in the sun 

 than it would in the house. 



KENNETH. One of our ants attacked a small beetle, 

 but soon let go and began to cut up high jinks. Then 

 another followed up the attack as the bug was running 

 away, but got a dose of poison, too, and stopped to work 

 with herself. A third ant was more successful, for she 

 bagged the game and took it home. 



ALBERT. The bug's ammunition was finally all gone, 

 I suppose. 



FLORENCE. You toted twelve grape seed home and 

 into the house and the next day you carried them all out. 

 Didn't you know you couldn't crack them? Foolish ants! 



ANT. Maybe we wanted to lick the dried juice that 

 was on the outside. 



FLORENCE. Even some ants that were mining stopped 



