24 HAUNTS AND HOBBIES 



it had no odour. However, they found it, and at once, 

 and forthwith began to carry it into the nest. It was 

 a work of great labour, for the flour was too dry 

 to adhere well together, and so nearly half what they 

 collected fell off on the way. 



The proceedings of one ant interested me greatly. 

 He was of unusually large size, and with energy pro- 

 portionate. On first emerging from the nest he went 

 full pace to the heap, made one rush to the summit, 

 and at once began to collect together with feet and 

 jaws as much flour as he could reach. This he pressed 

 into a ball against his chest, and with it he tore back 

 to the nest, darted into the entrance, and presently 

 reappeared. I recognized him by his great stature 

 and the white patches of flour on his body and limbs. 

 He went off again at once to the heap, collected 

 another ball of flour, and returned. And this per- 

 formance he continued to repeat without a moment's 

 pause or intermission all the while that I remained 

 watching him. So much of his collections of flour 

 fell off on the way that his various returns to the 

 nest were marked by little threads of white. 



By the evening all the flour had been carried into 

 the nest. The "dal" remained where I had placed 

 it till the afternoon of the third day. The ants paid 

 it no attention, and it appeared to have no attraction 

 for any other insect, nor even for the birds. On the 

 third afternoon the ants suddenly changed their minds 

 and conveyed the whole into their nest. Owing to 

 the size of the grain, and its distance from the nest, 

 nearly a yard, the conveying it must have been a 



