The Wonderful Ways of Insects and Spiders [ 253 



find some beetles on sandy shores by pulling up bunches of grass 

 and examining the roots; or moss from stream banks may be 

 shaken over a piece of paper for possible insect finds. 



There are several ways of setting traps; one method is to set a 

 tin can or narrow jar into the ground, the open top flush with 

 the surface, and with a bit of meat or fish at the bottom. Also, 

 after spring floods you are likely to find numerous specimens 

 along streams and creeks where they have been drowned and their 

 bodies left stranded. 



Carbona or ethyl acetate is the recommended poison to use in 

 a killing jar for beetles. Like butterflies and moths they can be 

 mounted for attractive exhibition in boxes. The mounting pins 

 should go through the right wing-cover. 



ANTS COLONISTS, WORKERS, AND WARRIORS 

 Ants, like beetles, are almost easier to find than to elude, 

 You see ants on lawns, roadways, and city pavements; in gardens, 

 forests, and pastures. These extraordinary insects vary in size and 

 color from the big carpenter ant to the little brown species that 

 is the most common of all in North America. There are many 

 localities where you may find this brown ant; but because it has 

 been studied chiefly in cornfields, it is widely known as the 

 "cornfield ant/* 



Ant Colonies: The cornfield ant, like all members of the ant 

 family, lives in colonies. Each colony is made up of three prin- 

 cipal types of ants: the queen (or fertile female) ; the short-lived 

 males that die soon after the mating flight; and the infertile 

 females. These last, the great majority, are the ordinary hard- 

 working citizens of the ant world. They are divided into workers, 

 soldiers, or other specialized castes. The workers have larger heads 

 and part of their front legs is slightly thicker than in other adults 

 of this species. 



If you come upon a mound of earth about which ants are 

 hustling, your youngster may exclaim, "There's an anthill!" And 

 if he is of an adventurous turn of mind, he may want to dig into 

 it to see just what an ant colony is like. But in order to examine 



