ANTS 303 



others are parasitic on the ants, while many seem to 

 take advantage of the protection afforded without 

 having any special connection with ant life. Indeed, 

 the ants appear to harbor useful animals, pets, scaven- 

 gers, and camp followers of all kinds, just as we do. 



5. Since the ants have domestic animals, have they Foodofants 

 any kind of agriculture ? The more primitive ants are 

 essentially carnivorous and, like savage peoples, live 

 by hunting from day to day. We find, however, that 

 various species, such as the bearded ants so common 

 in the Southwest, have a system of harvesting. The 

 ancient advice to "go to the ant" and study her wise 

 prevision, has its basis in this fact. The small ants of 

 the genus Pheidole gather many seeds ; and, as Wheeler 

 points out, .the large-headed soldiers, with their power- 

 ful jaws, become the "official nut crackers of the 

 colony." It was at one time supposed that some of 

 these harvesting ants did actually raise crops, but 

 this proved to be a mistake, and hence the term "agri- 

 cultural ants," as applied to them, is a misnomer. 



Although we are obliged to deny all knowledge of Leaf-cutting 

 agriculture to the harvesters, there is another group of **** 

 ants which really do raise crops. In tropical America, 

 and so far north as Arizona, the leaf-cutting ants are 

 often observed carrying on their peculiar occupations. 

 They nest in the ground, but come forth in long pro- 

 cessions and, ascending the trunks of trees and stems 

 of herbaceous plants, cut off leaves and carry them 

 home. Sometimes they will even take small flowers, 

 and appear as if carrying bouquets. In hot countries 

 they are often called "parasol ants," because it is fanci- 

 fully supposed that the leaves they carry seem to pro- 

 tect their heads from the sun. As a matter of fact 

 the leaves are carried into the underground chambers, 



