252 ANTS AND CHILDREN OF THE GARDEN 



FLORENCE. What kinds of animals capture ants for 

 food? 



KENNETH. Flickers, sparrows, woodpeckers, meadow 

 larks (?), thrushes, young chickens, some wasps, ant lions, 

 some spiders, toads, horned toads, lizards, ant-eaters, pups, 

 some guests (eat the larvae), and even man himself. 



FLORENCE. Does any kind of ant ever suckle its 

 young ? 



ALBERT. Ha, ha, ha! 



KENNETH. One species of Acrobats come near doing 

 so from glands on their bodies above their hind legs. 



FLORENCE. Can ants carry water home for the fam- 

 ily or to dampen dry ground when mining, or to dampen 

 ground that is too dry and loose? 



CECIL. There is no question but some ants have been 

 known to do this. The books say the ants may carry the 

 water in their mouth pouches. I'd like to know why they 

 couldn't carry it in their craws. 



FLORENCE. We've seen a few of our crippled ants at 

 work, but did any of you ever see a crippled Carpenter at 

 work ? 



KENNETH. Why, I saw two crippled Carpenters going 

 to milk this evening. The one going down the sidewalk 

 had lost a leg at the knee, and the one going up the cedar 

 had lost a foot. Then I saw one that had lost both front 

 legs on some no-man's-land trying to get home. Next, 

 along came a Carpenter dragging a sister home by a 

 feeler. A mean trick. 



FLORENCE. We saw the Garden ants, Acrobats and 

 the Termites (white ants) swarm, but I'm sorry we have 

 tc close the year without seeing our ants do so. 



KENNETH. I saw the Acrobats swarm today, and so 

 did Albert. Several dozen kings and queens were driven 



