56 Next to the Ground 



nests. Swarms from many points fed on the 

 same honey-dew — there would be a mighty 

 mixing up of families unless each inhabitant 

 of a nest knew beyond dispute the proper road 

 home. Occasionally he saw what he took for 

 a stray ant — one which ran bewilderedly back 

 and forth, turning in the path about every yard 

 or so, and obsequiously keeping out of the way 

 of all it met. Notwithstanding the obsequi- 

 ousness, the ants to whom the path belonged 

 fell upon these presumable strangers, cuffed 

 them, hustled them roughly about, and at last 

 drove them to seek shelter in the grass or leaf- 

 age outside. Joe wondered a little if the 

 strays starved there, or if, in the end, they 

 managed to steal home. 



He was sure the ants were all weatherwise. 

 Else how should they, when honey-dew was 

 plentiest, six hours before a rainstorm, so crowd 

 the paths to it they were fairly in each other's 

 way ? Sometimes then they tried to come and 

 go three abreast in paths just big enough for 

 one. He laughed to see the tangle they made, 

 and thought how odd it was, with all their 

 foresighted wisdom they knew no better. An- 

 other thing these Sunday studies taught him, 

 was the wonders and uses of ant-feelers. They 

 were such little things, much finer than hairs, 

 set on in the middle of the forehead, yet able 

 to reach back, forth, sidewise, up,down, around. 



