54 TWO CHAPTERS OX ANTS. 



one holding moistened granulated sugar, an- 

 other honey, and one with hard lumps, and 

 the last with crumbling sugar. A large 

 number of nurses crowd around the honey 

 and moistened sugar, while others are en- 

 gaged in carrying the lumps within the nest. 

 That the ants comprehend difference in 

 size is very apparent, and they are ambi- 

 tious to secure the largest. I have often 

 put a large piece in the path of an ant that 

 was carrying a small one, and found that 

 different individuals of the same species will 

 often act unlike. One immediately drops 

 the small piece she was carrying and tries 

 to take the larger ; another will pause and 

 go all round the big one, but still hold on 

 to the small piece, and then hurry off to 

 the nest and deposit it, and bring two or 

 three companions to assist in securing the 

 prize. And with the crumbling sugar one 

 ant will attempt to carry a large lump ; and 

 as she seizes it, she finds she has only a small 

 particle in her mandibles. She throws it 

 down, and tries again, with the same rssult ; 

 sometimes she makes half a dozen or more 

 such attempts before she succeeds in carry- 

 ing off the large piece. Another ant will 

 carefully carry each particle that comes off 

 and deposit it within the storehouse ; and 



