SUN-PARLOR OF BLACK HARVESTER ANT 163 



KENNETH. They take their babies up into the room 

 about eight in the morning and lay them down, or pile 

 them up, or hold them in their jaws. In the evening they 

 take them down below. 



CECIL. I see. 



KENNETH. They move the babies around a good deal, 

 keep feeling them, often stand on a pile of them. Some 

 stand on the glass ceiling whether holding babies or not. 



CECIL. What effect does removing the dirt covering 

 have? 



KENNETH. Even though I scrape but a little dirt off 

 the roof very quietly, the ants soon scurry out of the room 

 with their babies. Ants can't stand the violet rays of the 



Sun-Parlor of Black Harvester Ant. 



sun very well. Maybe they feel me or hear me through 

 the earth, also. 



FLORENCE. I saw you making our ants a new sun- 

 parlor today and have drawn a picture of it. 



KENNETH. Yes, I've made them several sun-parlors. 

 You know I removed the dirt roof and put a glass one 

 on some weeks ago. Afterwards I exchanged the glass 

 one for a tin one. Well, the other day I raised the walls 

 one story and put a tin roof a half inch above the glass 

 one. The ants made the lower sun room and I made the 

 upper. 



DOROTHY. How do the ants like your new upper 

 story? 



