ANT AND FLORENCE. EYESIGHT 213 



CECIL. These were white ants, or termites. They're 

 not real ants at all. They have wingless workers and sol- 

 diers. A soldier has a head nearly as long as all the rest 

 of the insect. The larvae are called wood worms because 

 they live in wood, but I don't know where these around 

 here live. 



FLORENCE. Have you seen any of these white ants? 



CECIL. Once in November I saw a dozen colonies 

 swarm, and they came out of earth cracks on the school 

 ground or along a bare footpath. Some of the soldiers and 

 workers were out to encourage the winged royalty to make 

 the venture into the sky. 



KENNETH. A colony of Robbers came up near the 

 swarming termites, but left because a lot of children came 

 running up. I'd like to know why these White ants made 

 their nest in such bare, hard-packed ground. On the school 

 ground of all places! 



Ant and Florence. Eyesight. 



FLORENCE. Well, Ant, it's some time since we had a 

 chat. You jumped a half inch again, when I dropped a 

 Carpenter near you. I suppose you screamed, too. 



ANT. That ant is eight times as big as I am and you 

 are 2,000 times as large as a mouse that can make you 

 scream and jump onto the table. If you had the muscles 

 of a flea you could jump two miles. Let me see you spring 

 twice your length. I jumped twice mine. 



FLORENCE. Flies don't get closer to you than half an 

 inch when you are both eating sugar. 



ANT. Sorry, but I can't say so much for you. 



FLORENCE. You are eight times as big as the Garden 

 ant, but it can run twice as fast as you. 



ANT. There goes a rabbit. Let me see you catch it. 

 Why, you can't catch a flea. 



