156 NA TUEE-STUD Y REVIEW [6:6-Sept., i9io 



the soil from the tunnels she builds, or gently lift and move the 

 tender young in her nest; and the ever-moving antennae, more 

 sensitive than the fingers of the blind, with which she judges 

 the qualities of everything she meets, and which are also the 

 evident means of her communication with her kind. 



We wonder as we note that most of the virtues we admire 

 and strive to attain are known and practiced by the ants. Their 

 cleanliness is extreme. Not only does each ant keep herself 

 "neat as a new pin", but they help each other at their toilets, 

 and the queer attitudes which they assume while brushing and 

 licking themselves and each other are very funny to see. Their 

 housekeeping is equally nice, and they have particular places 

 for refuse, as far as possible from the livingrooms and nurseries. 

 They love their fellows and are kind. Does a well-fed ant meet 

 a hungry sister? She will give to her even from her own par- 

 tially digested food; the two will stand mouth to mouth for 

 some minutes during this process. They are brave, and without 

 an instant's hesitation will sacrifice life to protect their homes 

 and young from any creature, even man. They allow no aliens 

 within their gates and will fight against any odds. At the same 

 time they will not refrain from attacking an adversary, three oi 

 four dozen to one; anything to overwhelm an enemy. They 

 are tirelessly industrious, and above all, seem to be supremely 

 unselfish, each one living for the good of all. It is the com- 

 munity and not the individual which seems to them important. 

 So it is that the ants' most shining virtue is their devotion to 

 the young. No mother instinct is this, for though all worker ants 

 are females, they are undeveloped sexually. All the eggs are pro- 

 duced by the queens, of which there may be several, though 

 sometimes only one in a nest. The eggs are taken as soon as 

 laid and are cared for by the nurses through all the stages and 

 changes of their growth. A teacher may work out a most in- 

 teresting series of questions concerning these nursemaid duties 

 to be answered by the pupils from their own observations. 



Note the appearance of the eggs and what is done with 

 them; the size, shape, and color of the larvae when hatched; 

 how they are fed, cleaned and carried about; that the young of 

 different ages are kept in different nurseries and fed on different 

 food; for the very young it is partially digested and regurgitated 

 by the nurses, but as they grow older, food is brought to them or 

 they are taken to it, and then do their own eating. Ants seem to 



