186 ANTS AND CHILDREN OF THE GARDEN 



CHAPTER XII. 

 January 12 to January 27. 

 Instinct, Learning, Memory. 



ALBERT. They say an ant has instinct. What's that? 



ANT. Acting for the community without the influence 

 of self-experience and without knowing why you are 

 doing it. 



ALBERT. That's too much for me. But I think ants 

 can learn. You know that you carried very few melon 

 seed home until after Florence got to cracking them for 

 you. After that you brought in a pile every day. 



FLORENCE. Yes, and I've seen your ants drop twenty 

 on the trail when the sun got too hot. Do you remember 

 that time you stood on my thumb while I took the melon 

 seed away from you, removed the kernel and handed it 

 back? I then lowered my hand and you strutted away, 

 taking the kernel home. Why, some of you are regular 

 pets. 



KENNETH. Yes, but not the young ones. I thought 

 two of them had stung me today until I saw their sharp 

 teeth and the sharp dagger on each jaw. 



FLORENCE. At last I've made a trail that you will use, 

 but you shy clear of the bridge over a tiny canyon. My 

 trail passes across a mat of tangled grass that you could 

 hardly get through. 



ALBERT. Have ants memory? 



CECIL. They seem to remember today where the seeds 



