40 LIFE IN THE INSECT WORLD. 



their own business, without interfering with, or 

 even understanding, that of the others. 



Huber says, that he once took from the nest 

 of the large wood ant about thirty or forty of 

 the soldiers, with a considerable number of eggs, 

 and put them into a garden vase, the bottom of 

 which was covered with earth ; he placed a 

 little honey in one corner, and covered the top 

 with glass. 



The poor ants wandered about without seem- 

 ing to know what to do, either with themselves 

 or the eggs ; they did not even attempt to dig 

 out a dwelling, scarcely tasted the food, and, at 

 the end of two days, about half of them were 

 dead. He then threw in one of the workers, 

 which he had taken from the same nest. The 

 poor soldiers manifested their pleasure at seeing 

 their companion by gathering around it, and ca- 

 ressing it with their antennae. It immediately 

 went to work, made for them a habitation in 

 the earth, took charge of and properly arranged 

 the eggs, arid induced its companions to eat the 

 food prepared for them. 



Thus the lives of fifteen or twenty were saved 

 by the exertions of a single ant. 



