212 ANTS AND CHILDREN OF THE GARDEN 



DOROTHY. Why didn't the other ants help the one in 

 trouble ? 



ALBERT. They did. A passing ant stopped, reared up, 

 put its jaws on the drop of water, and some of it stuck, for 

 I could see it glisten on the helper's jaws. Then two 

 more ants did exactly the same thing, except I didn't see 

 any water on their jaws. 



DOROTHY. At last, what? 



ALBERT. The ball of water was soon gone, the feelers 

 combed out, and the ant went home. 



KENNETH. They say the native Mexicans use ants as 

 weather prophets. 



DOROTHY. It would take a good prophet to prophesy 

 a California shower. 



ALBERT. Where have all the frogs and toads been 

 since last year? 



CECIL. Oh, they're all right. They've been asleep down 

 in the ground, many of them at least through the winter. 

 They'll soon be serenading you again over at the pond. 



ALBERT. But toads don't live in the pond. 



CECIL. No, but they are now coming to the pond to 

 lay eggs coming from as far as two miles. Slow journey. 

 A toad will walk a few inches and then stop to rest. Some- 

 times they travel on the dangerous highway. When the 

 celebration is over, each toad leaves her tadpoles to hustle 

 for themselves and plods her weary way back to her old 

 home. 



White Ants, or Termites. 



FLORENCE. I set an ant-like insect down on the 

 ground and she walked away from her wings. I saw 

 another one leave her wings in a knot hole the other day. 

 She seemed to wipe them off with her legs. She could 

 curve her abdomen up over her back, too. 



