196 ANTS AND CHILDREN OF THE GARDEN 



CECIL. I suppose an ant can trap some air in the joints 

 of its oiled legs and under its chin when you force it under 

 water. Some spiders can do this. These bubbles would 

 help lift the ant to the surface, also. 



KENNETH. A ball of our ants could float across a 

 stream now if the wind was right, They shine as if they 

 had time to oil and burnish their bodies. If this doesn't 

 quite tally with what we may see at other times, remember 

 these ants were ducked. 



CECIL. Yes. 



KENNETH. I know a colony of Honey ants that live 

 by a small pond that has water in it the year round. I saw 

 some of these ants actually swim, the same as I can, and 

 others could walk on the water by letting their abdomens 

 touch the top film of water. 



CECIL. That's a new one. 



KENNETH. I put twenty of these ants in a bottle of 

 water, and shook it for fifteen minutes, and they all sank. 

 Two hours later they all came to the top and showed me 

 what all they could do, and wound up by collecting into a 

 ball and floating. 



ALBERT. It drizzled a little this morning, and I was 

 surprised to see that your ants enjoyed the mist, So I 

 poured a quart of water on an ant. She dropped her seed, 

 lay down, and was motionless. 



CECIL. Yes; but after the puddle dried up, the ant 

 came to, wiped off:' her feelers, and started back to the har- 

 vest field. 



FLORENCE. How long could an ant live under water? 



ANT. Ants differ in this say, from twenty-seven hours 

 to eight days. You see, there would soon be no ants if 

 floods drowned them. Remember where they live. 



DOROTHY. I wet the ground today, and the ants be- 



