l66 MY STUDIO NEIGHBORS 



fallen ceaselessly upon the leaves below. The 

 flies, butterflies, and ants had been attracted, as 

 always, by its sweets ; the preoccupied convivial 

 flies, in turn, were a tempting bait for the wasps 

 and hornets, and my dragonfly and mock bumble- 

 bee found a similar attraction in the neighbor- 

 hood. 



An examination of the trunk of the pine 

 showed the inevitable double procession of ants, 

 both up and down the tree, with the habitual in- 

 terchange of comment; and could we but have 

 obtained a closer glimpse of the pine branch 

 above, we might certainly have observed the 

 queer spectacle of the small army of ants inter- 

 spersed everywhere among the swarm of aphides. 

 Not in antagonism ; indeed, quite the reverse ; 

 herders, in truth, jealously guarding their feeding 

 flock, creeping among them with careful tread, 

 caressing them with their antennas while they 

 sipped at the honeyed pipes everywhere upraised 

 in most expressive and harmonious welcome. 



This intimate and friendly association of the 

 ants and aphides has been the subject of much 

 interesting scientific investigation and surprising 

 discovery. Huber and Lubbock have given to 

 the world many startling facts, the significance of 

 which may be gathered from the one statement 



