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 big 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 antenne. 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 
