188 ANTS AND CHILDREN OF THE GARDEN 



Traps. Snares. 



FLORENCE. You told us how the ant lions set traps 

 for our ants and once filaree chaff coiled around one of 

 our ants. 



CECIL. Yes, and afterwards I found another ant 

 trapped in the coil of that seed. After I dropped the seed 

 in water, the coil untwisted, freeing the ant. I carried her 

 home. After she brushed and combed, she walked into 

 the house all right, except one leg was a little stiff. 



KENNETH. I suppose the ants get trapped in the 

 morning when the tails are coiling up. If the workers are 

 not squeezed to death they might get loose the next night, 

 when the tails get damp and uncoil. 



CECIL. The seed is trying to plant itself. 



FLORENCE. I wonder if the coil couldn't trap an ant 

 while the ant is carrying the seed home? 



CECIL. A spider built a trap in front of our ants' door 

 last night and snared seven. This morning the other ants 

 tried to break the guy ropes, but failed. I tore the trap 

 down and threw it by the door. An ant tried to drag it 

 away, but she got caught, too. 



FLORENCE. Once I saw an ant get caught in some 

 pine wax. You know that's the way the ants were caught 

 that are now found in fossil amber. 



CECIL. Pitcher plants fix up a bowl of water for ants 

 to fall into. Then the plant eats them. Other plants 

 secrete a wax to keep ants away from them, in some in- 

 stances. 



KENNETH. I saw three of our ants strung up in a 

 spider web and also saw a spider carrying an ant away 

 from the trail, 



