THE PERFECT SOCIALISM 67 



babies are hungry they stretch up hke young birds, and 

 their nurses regurgitate partly digested food into the 

 gaping, hungry mouths. The nurses keep them very 

 clean by licking them with their long tongues, and, 

 what is more interesting, are very careful to keep them 

 in the right temperature. When the sun shines hot on 

 the nest in the morning the nurses carry their charges 

 to the lower compartments, but toward night they 

 carry them again to the upper nurseries. The nurses 

 show great interest in the young when they emerge 

 from the pupa state, helping them to straighten out 

 their newly freed antennas and legs, then taking a 

 hand at their education by leading them around the 

 city and showing them the ways of the formic world. 



All the members of the insect commune are shining 

 lights in their devotion to the young. The moment an 

 ant nest is attacked those citizens who are not detailed 

 to fight the intruders will snatch up the babies and flee 

 with them to places of safety; or when hard pressed 

 will fight to the death for their protection. This is 

 worthy of note, since it is not the mother instinct for 

 saving her young but is a race instinct instead. It 

 may be here stated that the objects popularly known 

 as ants' eggs are not the eggs, but the young grub ants 

 or pupae ; the eggs are too small to be seen well with 

 the naked eye. 



