ANTS 13 



For some minutes none of them noticed the paper. 

 Then a single ant left the track and advanced towards 

 it. In the meanwhile the heat of the sun's rays had 

 caused the edges of the paper to curl slightly upwards 

 — the curl was only very slight, but it was sufficient to 

 prevent the ant from perceiving the jam — the ant came 

 up to the paper, paused for a second or so, looked at it, 

 and departed. A second and a third ant did the same : 

 each in succession left the track, advanced to the paper, 



I paused, looked at it, and passed on. 

 Next there came an ant of very unusual stature ; 

 his great height, perhaps, enabled him to see over the 

 curled edge, for, on reaching the paper, he at once 

 proceeded to climb on it. He then bit off a piece 

 of the jam and descended ; and in his descent he met 

 with an accident. He tripped over the curled edge, 

 stumbled, and fell ; and in his fall he dropped his 

 piece of jam. Nor was this all. In picking up the 

 jam some of it got smeared over his body and legs. 

 He now moved with difficulty ; soon he could hardly 

 move at all. The ground was covered with dust. All 

 sticky as he now was, much of the dust adhered to 

 him. The nest was about a yard distant. It was 

 many minutes before he succeeded in reaching it ; 

 and then it was without his piece of jam, for that he 

 had been compelled to abandon in the course of his 

 journey. 



And now occurred something very interesting. The 

 large ant had not long entered the nest, when a multi- 

 tude of ants of ordinary size came trooping out of it. 

 They went direct and at full speed to the paper ; they 



