78 MARVELS OF THE ANIMAL WORLD 



Great fleas have little fleas upon their backs to bite 'em, 

 And little fleas have lesser fleas, and so ad infinitum ; 

 And the great fleas themselves, in turn, have greater 



fleas to go on, 

 Whilst these again have greater still, and greater still, 



and so on. 



There are several species of mites which inhabit 

 the nests of ants and attach themselves to the 

 bodies of the rightful inmates, and one kind, which 

 forces its presence upon the black ant, has the 

 remarkable habit of rubbing the mouths of its 

 hosts with its fore-legs, and thereby inducing them 

 to exude drops of fluid upon which to feed. In 

 addition to such interlopers, however, there are 

 other creatures which take up their abode in ants' 

 nests as ever- welcome guests, and a species of 

 beetle (Claviger testaceus), found in the British Isles, 

 passes the whole of its existence in company with 

 our yellow ants (Formica flava). It is totally 

 blind, and, consequently, entirely dependent upon 

 the ants for receiving a supply of food ; but the 

 latter are always ready to render their services in 

 such respect, and in exchange receive a supply of 

 a sweet-tasting fluid, secreted by their guest, 

 which is much appreciated by the ants as an item 

 of their diet. Ants are also very fond of feeding 

 upon the sugary fluid or ' honey-dew ' which flows 

 from the intestines of aphides or plant-lice, and, 

 with that end in view, not only will they provide 

 the insects with food, but even secure their eggs 

 and carefully tend them until the young emerge. 

 Mr. Lydekker tells us that : ' Tunnels, or covered 



