2 74 ' ^'HE ADVENTURES OF 



" No, Master Sunbeam ; the ants are relations of the bees, 

 and, consequently, belong to the order of Hymenoptem. There 

 are male, female, and neuter or working ants. The males and 

 females are born with wings ; but after the females have laid 

 their eggs, they drop off these appendages, and assist the 

 workers engaged in constructing the habitation, taking care gf 

 the young ones, and collecting the provisions required for the 

 colony." 



" Look there ! one might fancy that the very grass was walking 

 along." 



" It is the ants which have stripped a tree of its leaves, in order 

 to hoard them up in their storehouses — a useless precaution, for 

 these insects become torpid during the winter months." 



Lucien approached the moving column, which was divided into 

 two lines going contrary ways; one of them advancing loaded 

 with vegetable remains, and the other going back with empty 

 mandibles. Nothing could be more interesting than to see 

 thousands of these little creatures walking along in perfect order, 

 eagerly carrying or dragging a load five or six times greater than 

 themselves. Lucien followed them. The column entered the 

 forest, and crawled up a tree, the lower limbs of which were 

 already stripped of their leaves, causing it to look as if it were 

 dead. The ants climbed nearer and nearer to the top, and the 

 summit was visibly losing its foliage. 



" How long will they take to carry away all the leaves off that 

 great tree 1 " asked Lucien. 



" They will have finished their work by this evening," I 

 answered. 



Gringalet, who with generous confidence was lying down a 

 few steps behind us, and had not seen his enemies creeping slyly 

 over him, got up and began howling. 



" Will you never be prudent ? " cried I'Encuerado. " Any one 

 must be as simple as a new-born infant to squat on an ant-hill. 

 This is the second time you have done it." 



Here the advice-giver was suddenly interrupted ; he made a 

 face, lifted up one of his legs and walked away with long strides; 

 then he sat down on the ground in order to catch the ants which 



