BIRD PARADISE 39 



of real gaming. The good sense of the company 

 seemed to be the real umpire of the game, and 

 the charge carried the idea with it that it was 

 honest oversight. The suit worn by these birds 

 is attractive in appearance and while not con- 

 spicuous for color is every way becoming in finish 

 and neatness. No harm ensues to the farmers' 

 crops in any of the acts of killdeer so far as I 

 know. On the contrary, he is an all around 

 good fellow, doing good service at every turn. 



In the village cemetery a colony of red ants 

 preempted a claim some years ago and by an 

 industrious course of their kind of work reared a 

 mansion that could be seen from all parts of the 

 ground. Last spring it became necessary to re- 

 move the mound. It was done by simply level- 

 ing it with the surface of the yard. It was a 

 great surprise to the red-coated citizens of the 

 borough. I saw them running to and fro, evi- 

 dently taking observations as to the best method 

 of repairing damages. The result appears in a 

 deposit of fine earth over a space measured by 

 the extent of the original home — perhaps a 

 quarter of an inch in thickness. What workers 

 they are ! When destruction came upon their 

 house scattering the entire structure to the winds 



