THE ARMY ANTS' HOME TOWN 79 



swarm. This platform was almost on a level 

 with my eyes, and by leaning slightly forward 

 on the chair, I was as close as I dared go. Here 

 many ants came from the incoming columns, and 

 others were constantly arriving from the nest 

 itself. It was here that I realized my good for- 

 tune and the achievement of my desires, when 

 I first saw an army ant at rest. One of the 

 first arrivals after I had squatted to my post, 

 was a hig soldier with a heavy load of roach 

 meat. Instead of keeping on straight up the 

 post, he turned abruptly and dropped his load. 

 It was instantly picked up by two smaller work- 

 ers and carried on and upward toward the nest. 

 Two other big fellows arrived in quick succes- 

 sion, one with a load which he relinquished to a 

 drogher-in-waiting. Then the three weary war- 

 riors stretched their legs one after another and 

 commenced to clean their antennae. This lasted 

 only for a moment, for three or four tiny ants 

 rushed at each of the larger ones and began as 

 thorough a cleaning as masseurs or Turkish-bath 

 attendants. The three arrivals were at once 

 hustled away to a distant part of the board and 

 there cleaned from end to end. I found that 

 the focal length of my 8-diameter lens was just 



