THEIR ARCHITECTURE. 183 



or eight feet in diameter, and plants upon it the seeds of 

 a peculiar grass. Dr. Lincecum says that after watching 

 these ants for more than twelve years, he never saw them 

 use more than that one species of grass. 



The insects keep their ground in beautiful condition, 

 never allowing a weed to show itself, and watching over 

 the seeds until they are ripe. They then cut off the 

 small, white seeds and carry them below, where they 

 separate the husks, throwing the latter away outside 

 their enclosure. Should the weather be wet the ants 

 wait for the first fine day, and carry the seeds into the 

 sunbeams for the purpose of drying them. Sprouting 

 seeds they reject, herein differing from the practice of 

 their European relatives. 



An Indian Harvesting Ant (Podomyrma, rufonigra) is 

 on occasions useful to the natives. In famine years the 

 starving people hunt carefully for the nests of this ant, 

 take out the grain and husks together, and grind them 

 into meal. 



" Last scene of all." Not many years ago, if anyone 

 had dared to state that ants not only bury their dead, 

 but pay funeral honours to them, he would have 

 forfeited all claims to credibility. Yet, even this 

 peculiarly human trait of character has been re- 

 corded. 



A number of ants which had attacked a little boy had 

 been killed, about twenty of them lying dead upon the 

 ground. After a while a procession of ants came from 

 the nest and marched two by two towards their dead 



