230 ANTS AND CHILDREN OF THE GARDEN 



feet, and then up a small cedar tree. There the ants showed 

 me several herds ranging from six to one hundred twenty- 

 five cows each. One or two ants were guarding each small 

 herd, and from six to nine ants each large herd. They 

 averaged about one ant for seven cows. 



KENNETH. I was with you. All ages were found 

 among the cows. I saw an ant stroke the sides of a cow 

 with its feelers until drops of honeydew appeared. Then 

 the ant licked these up. The abdomens of the ants coming- 

 down the tree were five times as large as those of the ants 

 going up. 



CECIL. Yes. Their abdomens were stretched until the 

 light showed through between the plates as the ants 

 wabbled down the trunk with full milk cans (craws). 



KENNETH. There were seventy-five ants and five hun- 

 dred cows on the tree. An ant went up empty about every 

 minute, and one came down full about as often. So it took 

 about an hour and a quarter to fill a can on an average. 



CECIL. It was all very funny. I saw a full ant stop 

 milking long enough to put her mouth to the mouth of a 

 discouraged sister and give her a taste. 



KENNETH. Some ants were out of luck for their herds 

 were bone dry. After coaxing a dry herd for half an hour 

 on the trunk of that tree, an ant gave up and carried her 

 can away empty. The cows didn't kick or anything, but 

 seemed to enjoy the attention they were getting. They 

 might have walked away had they wanted to. 



CECIL. The ants herd these cows day and night, and 

 have a branch nest, or hiding place, in the brush at the 

 foot of the tree for daytime. I suppose they carry the milk 

 home to the family at night. 



KENNETH. We were expecting to find the cows of the 



