A VISIT TO THE ANTS 127 



else and I forgot to watch. I've lost it. I can't see a 

 dozen things at once. 



FLORENCE. Where is your big insect pupa with a rope 

 tied to it? 



KENNETH. I declare; it's gone, too. The ants must 

 have pulled it into the house by the rope, because they 

 couldn't do it any other way. 



ALBERT. Too many things going on around here at 

 once. We can't see them all. It's better than a three- 

 ringed circus. 



ANT. Well, you asked for a good show, didn't you? 



KENNETH. See this big headless grasshopper I threw 

 down by the door. A dozen ants are biting him. See him 

 kick an ant three inches. There go two others four inches, 

 and there goes one a foot bang up against a stone. Ha, 

 ha, ha ! 



FLORENCE. That's nothing to laugh about. 



KENNETH. Grasshoppers do a lot of harm. 



FLORENCE. Why is this ant bringing a piece of egg- 

 shell home a distance of fifteen feet? 



ANT. Maybe there's some dried egg on the inside. 



DOROTHY. I saw my cat eating egg shell this morning. 



FLORENCE. It has taken the Carpenter just one hour 

 to gorge herself \vith that raisin I gave her. Her abdomen 

 is stretched until the plates have pulled apart, showing 

 the white elastic bands that connect them. 



CECIL. Only a few of our ants stood beside the Car- 

 penter while she was eating. She is chasing them away 

 now. 



DOROTHY. The body of that awful big Carpenter that 

 Cecil spoke of is still lying here. Our ants haven't 

 touched it. 



CECIL. Yes, but look! One of ours has held her head 



