Queer Friendships 



farmed : the former obtain excellent fare in return for the 

 protection they afford to their herds. 



There are many other ant friendships not of the ants' 

 seeking, and this is hardly surprising. The warmth of 

 ants' nests, the protection they afford, the odd scraps of 

 food they provide, coupled with the very curious habit 

 possessed by all ants of nursing the young of insects other 

 than their own, all tend to render the ant dwelling 

 decidedly attractive. 



One of the most peculiar of these little friends is a 

 small, brownish American beetle, which runs about the 

 nests of its ant acquaintances with surprising agility. 

 From time to time it pauses on its way, raises the front 

 part of its body in the air and awaits the coming of an 

 ant. When a- passing ant happens to touch it, the beetle 

 waves his fore-legs in the air to attract attention. The ant 

 is not slow to observe the signal ; it stops and licks the 

 beetle's head effusively, till at length it regurgitates a drop 

 of liquid food which the beetle eagerly devours. This pn> 

 ceeding may be repeated again and again, but after each 

 feed the ant carefully licks the beetle's face clean ; in fact, 

 she seems so fascinated with her pet that she cannot feed 

 and fondle it enough. Sometimes the beetle is not so 

 fortunate, for when sitting up and begging for food he 

 may be inadvertently knocked over in the general hurry 

 and scramble of the ants' nest. At such times, after 

 lying for a little while on his back with legs sprawling in 

 the air, he will suddenly right himself and scamper off or 

 remain and strike his favourite attitude once more. 



Another little insect frequenting ants' nests and a close 

 relative of the common "silver fish" of this country is not 

 quite so honest as the beetle which has learned to beg ; in 

 fact, he is a barefaced robber and a nuisance to the ants, 

 for they often try to catch him while he is thieving, but he 

 is usually too alert to be caught. Now it is a common 

 ant habit to pass liquid food from mouth to mouth and 

 this is especially the case when the workers have returned 



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