158 ANTS AND CHILDREN OF THE GARDEN 



CHAPTER X. 



October 18 to November 15. 

 The New Home, Why Ants Move. 



FLORENCE. Well, Ant, how do you like your new 

 home? 



ANT. I don't know yet. 



ALBERT. There's plenty of wild oats near here, and I 

 guess you came for that. You won't have to cross the alley 

 now, nor go so far to the harvest field. But I think you'll 

 find that too many other animals live in or around that 

 pole to suit you. 



CECIL. I guess ants are like men. Sometimes they have 

 to use any kind of a house until they can find a better one 

 or make one. 



KENNETH. One of your ants had the palsy today, for 

 it shivered and jerked for fifteen minutes. All this time 

 fifteen of your ants were examining it all over with their 

 feelers. 



ANT. Of course we might have nervous trouble at such 

 a time as this. Did you ever move? You see, you don't 

 even know why we moved yet. Watch out the next time 

 we move and maybe you'll learn something you don't 

 know. 



KENNETH. When that ant quit jerking, it stood up- 

 right and then ran its two hind legs over a straw, letting 

 its body swing below for a few minutes. A regular 

 gymnastic stunt. I then placed the ant in my hand and 



