THE STORING INSTINCT 187 
the sun. According to Neger the dried seeds, of 
some leguminous plants for instance, are then taken 
back into the nest and chewed into dough. This is 
dried once again in the sun in the form of little 
biscuits, which are eventually put into the cup- 
board. It is probable that different kinds of seeds 
receive different treatment, and in some cases it 
seems that the stored material is not eaten after 
all, but is used as a culture for molds (e.g. Asper- 
gillus niger) of which the ants are very fond. It is 
a very interesting fact that a utilization of fungoid 
growths—remotely comparable to man’s mushroom 
beds—is exhibited by a number of quite unrelated 
animals—namely, by certain ants, termites, beetles, 
and mites. 
Among backboned animals it is difficult to find 
convincing instances of storing until we come to 
birds and mammals. Apart from the numerous 
birds that store food in their crops, sometimes so 
exuberantly that they cannot fly, there are some 
that may be said to lay up nutritive savings outside 
of themselves. The large Eagle Owl, which occa- 
sionally visits Britain, often gathers a huge super- 
fluity of food (including hares and rabbits, poultry 
and pigeons) for his mate and offspring; and 
peasants have been known to utilize him as Elijah 
his ravens. There is an old tale that ptarmigan 
make stores of buds and berries beneath the snow, 
but there is no doubt that at least two species of 
woodpeckers store acorns, sticking them firmly 
into holes which are bored “ for the purpose ” in the 
