190 ANTS AND CHILDREN OF THE GARDEN 



changed to spoons, and the feelers of some have changed 

 to handles so the ants can carry the lazy bugs around. 

 Some of the feelers have lanterns in them. 



ANT. Some of the bugs are given joy rides on the 

 backs of ants. 



KENNETH. These ants are as crazy as the bird that 

 rears the cuckoo's brood, or the cat that rears a puppy or 

 rat, or the hen that mothers a kitten or gosling. 



CECIL. Some of these bugs lay their eggs among the 

 ant eggs and let the kind ant nurses do the rest. But ants 

 will nurse almost anything that looks like an ant baby. 



ANT. Why, these ants will rescue these bug babies 

 before they do their own. 



FLORENCE. I see why these bugs like to live with 

 ants. Protection, home, food all without work. 



ANT. About 1,000 of the animals that live with ants 

 are beetles. 



KENNETH. Some bugs that live with ants have artil- 

 lery and shoot an explosive liquid into the soft parts of 

 the enemy to kill it or paralyze it. Suppose these bugs get 

 too hungry and turn their artillery on the ants they live 

 with. Then what? 



ANT. For some reason many of them can not or will 

 not turn it on the hand that feeds them not even if they 

 are attacked by the ants. But often they rob the ant 

 nurseries. 



FLORENCE. What effect does smoking have on the 

 ants? 



ANT. I've already told you. Too many loafers around 

 these cigarette stands is about to destroy some kinds of 

 ants, judging from their condition (social disease or social 

 obsession). 



CECIL. Man, ants and manv other animals live in 



